A time to save the future
by Writer207
Summary: When Cyd and Shelby wonder if there is any life beyond the future lab, they end up jumping too far in the future. On top of that, their powers somehow aren't working. Without any way back, they must try to go back home while staying alive in Portland, 2067, with the help of some new friends. (T to be safe)
1. Prologue

_**A time to save the future**_

 **Hey guys! Here I am with my first multi-chapter Best Friends Whenever story. I'm so excited for this story and I hope you guys will like it. So, without further ado, enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _January 29, 2016 (present)_**

In class, they were talking about the plans the students had for their future. So far, almost everyone had answered, including Barry and Naldo. Mrs. Wells, their teachers, had then asked Cyd and Shelby what they wanted to do in the future. They remained modest, telling her they'd stay together for the rest of their lives, they would always be friends. They high-fived, but their moods changed right after that.

Barry and Naldo noticed this, along with other classmates and Mrs. Wells. Yet, only the two boys knew what exactly was going on, why they were so nervous all of a sudden, relieved and scared at once. Mrs. Wells stepped closer.

"Are you alright?" she asked them. Cyd and Shelby looked at each other. Barry guessed they traveled to the future lab again, because they would always react like this when they came back. Eventually, the two best friends both looked at Mrs. Wells.

"It's just that we…" Shelby hesitated, "even if Cyd and I will stay best friends, we're a little scared about the near future." Nobody, except for Barry and Naldo, would be able to understand the message behind those words. Mrs. Wells nodded.

"It's okay," she then responded, "Everyone's a bit afraid of the future. I know I was when I was as old as you are now." The bell rang, and Mrs. Wells couldn't finish her story. the students hurried to go out of the class. Mrs. Wells is a great teacher, but once she started talking about her past, about her life as a teenager, she couldn't stop talking about it.

Cyd and Shelby didn't want to talk about it. Naldo and Barry wondered why they didn't want to discuss it, but the two friends responded they'd rather not talk about it. The boys knew better than to insist. They just left them alone so they could discuss the topic between the two of them. Yet, they only started talking about it when they were home.

"We should be more careful when we travel to the future," Cyd said. After the adventure they've had in the future lab today, they should definitely be more careful with thinking about the future. "Especially the future lab." Today, they've spent three hours in the future lab. That adventure almost ended badly, but they could get back to each other before they could get hurt. If they had stayed a few more seconds, they would've been dead.

"We already are careful," Shelby replied. "I think we were just caught off-guard. I didn't think we were going to that part of our future again." She had noticed that, lately, they always jumped to the future lab when they were thinking or talking about the future. There has been that one time, when they jumped to 2017, but they had no idea if that happened before or after the future lab. Shelby started to think the future lab was set after 2017.

"Then we should stop thinking about the future lab," Cyd suggested, "That way, we won't be able to jump back there."

"That's a great idea," Shelby then said, "But all I can think about now is the future lab." It had been on her mind since this morning and she knew she would still be thinking about it when they woke up next morning.

"Me too," Cyd admitted, "but we can at least try." They remained silent for a while, each caught up in their own thoughts. Eventually, Shelby broke that silence.

"What about our future?" she said and she looked at Cyd. Cyd was also looking at her, and she shrugged.

"What about it?" Cyd replied and she sat down next to Shelby on her bed. Their possible future didn't seem to bother her. She only saw the positive side of it, didn't bother thinking about the possibilities, not of the bad ones, not of the good ones. Shelby turned her head to her best friend.

"What if we don't have a future because the future lab kills us?" That's a possibility. It would explain why they never go further than the future lab. The expression on Cyd's face was more than enough for Shelby to know she disagreed with her.

"I will not accept that possibility." She said. Shelby nodded – she too didn't want to believe it either, but right now, they didn't have many options left to choose from.

"But what if that possibility is the truth?" Shelby said "I mean, every time we think about the future, we jump to the future lab. There has to be an explanation for that." She wasn't trying to convince Cyd she was right. She was just trying to give a meaning and a specific time to the future lab, and a possible outcome. After what happened today, their fate pointed towards finding death in the future lab at the hands of Janet Smythe.

"We can always travel further than the future lab and see if we live." Cyd then said.

"That's a good idea!" Shelby reacted. I mean, they already traveled to a time where they didn't exist. They almost forgot each other, but they at least were able to go back to their present before it became permanent. If they could survive the seventies, they sure could survive the future beyond the future lab. It's not like they were going to stay there for a long time. they'd go, see if they were still alive, and then go back to the present. Cyd nodded with a smile on her face. Before they could leave, however, Shelby did have one more question.

"What if we see our kids? Or future husbands? What do we tell them?"

"We say 'hi', remember their names and faces and go back here," Cyd answered. "It's the future – we'll meet them eventually, but that doesn't mean we can't speed things up." Shelby nodded. She was convinced now. Besides, meeting her (possible) future husband and kids would be awesome. Who knows, maybe they'd marry earlier because they already know who they will marry.

"Alright then," Shelby then said, "Let's go!" Cyd and Shelby hugged, thinking about the future beyond the future lab, and they jumped to an unknown year beyond the future lab.

* * *

 _ **Future, time unknown**_

They were out in the streets. Both had guessed they would end up in a world they didn't recognize, bad or good. At least Cyd and Shelby didn't end up in a dystopian future. The streets were clean, the grass was green and the sun shone brightly. It was a beautiful, warm day. But it was too soon to call this world a utopia. They had seen cars of the newest models, but they were on the ground. The houses and everything around barely differed from the technology they knew from their own time.

"We're in the future!" Cyd said after a whie with a big smile on her face. At least their future wasn't a nightmare. They couldn't be bothered by the fact that they were outside, on the streets, while they could have appeared in their future homes. Maybe they were just on their way to the grocery together as they jumped to this specific time.

"Let's take a time-selfie." Shelby suggested and Cyd smiled and nodded at the idea. Shelby took out her phone and made a selfie of her and her best friend. When they came closer to take a look at it, they were surprised.

"We look the same," Shelby said. They indeed looked the same. They wore the same clothes as they had when they jumped to this time, the same face, the same age. They hadn't changed.

"So we're already dead in this time?" Cyd wondered. Her mood shifted and she felt down. This world didn't look futuristic enough to make her believe they wouldn't die soon.

"You don't know that," Shelby said, trying to cheer Cyd up, "Maybe we're in the 22nd century. We're gonna be dead in that century." That is, if they didn't get older than a hundred years old. In that case, they would be dead before the 22nd century would even start. Cyd shook her head.

"If this was the 22nd century, you'd think the world got more modern. And that there would be more people on the streets." She looked around to prove her point – this version of Portland (or wherever they were) didn't look futuristic at all. And now that she mentioned it, there were indeed no people on the street, just the two of them. It was around midday, but the streets were completely deserted.

"Yeah, where is everyone?" Shelby then responded, looking around. There was one middle-aged woman looking out of the window at them, and with hand motions she was trying to tell them to come inside. Shelby ignored the woman.

"Maybe we should go home," Shelby then said. The woman gave her an uneasy feeling, as if something bad would happen if they stayed outside for too long. There must be a reason for them not to go outside at this hour. "We can always come back later." Cyd agreed with her, and they hugged each other, thinking of the present.

When they stopped hugging, they were still in that street in the future. The woman, who was still inside her home, was looking at them still.

"Why aren't we home?" Shelby then asked out loud. They're supposed to be home by now, but they weren't. They were positive that this time, neither of them was preventing them to go home, as they both wanted to go back.

"I don't know," Cyd then said, thinking about all possibilities. After their trip to a younger Janet Smythe, there hadn't been a delay anymore, and they were still able to jump. But now, they couldn't.

"So we're just stuck here?" Shelby asked and Cyd slowly nodded. There was no other explanation. Soon, they both figured they needed to find Barry and Naldo, so they could help them get back home. Or their descendants, if they really were in the 22nd century and their two friends were already dead. But before they could discuss their plans of finding Barry and Naldo, and/or their descendants, someone yelled at them.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing?" They first looked at the woman, who saw the guy who yelled before they had, and noticed she walked away from the window after seeing the guy.

 _This can't be good,_ they both thought as they turned around.


	2. Sentinels

**Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter. I thought it wouldn't be good enough, but apparently it was good enough. So, what's in this chapter: we have the mystery guy, the twisted version of this city (probably Portland) and almost everything else you mentioned in the reviews. Speaking of which, here are my responses before you can go to this chapter:**

 _Boris Yeltsin:_ _Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter._

 _TKDP:_ _He can indeed be bad news. And you'll know whether they live or not when it's revealed later in the story. That is quite the theory you're talking about. I loved that line, too! Thanks for reviewing!_

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! They'll soon have bigger problems than their powers not working. You'll meet the guy now._

 _cecilia. dryan:_ _Here's the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Here's the update!_

 _daphrose:_ _Wow, that's a lot of questions. You will get the answers soon, some of them in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _Future, time unknown_**

The young man – Cyd and Shelby guessed he was about twenty years old – stood five yards away from them and had a determined look on his face. His short blonde hair curled slightly and his green eyes were fixed on the two teenage girls in front of him. His clothes were all dark colors – black, very dark green and dark blue among others – and looked like any soldier would wear, along with some improvised armor, like a home-made chest plate. His primary weapon was a steel bar, but the girls rather looked at the holster around his waist, containing a small gun.

Even though he was the type of guy they'd rather not meet anywhere, they just stood there and stared at him, petrified, afraid of what he would do to them now they're caught. Was the woman warning them for this particular young man? He took one step in their direction and then stopped.

"You have to watch out," he told, "It is dangerous this time of the day." He watched them, expecting a reaction. Maybe he wanted them to run, maybe he wanted them to stay and say something. Either way, Cyd and Shelby had no idea what the young man wanted from them. Because they had no idea what was going on in this time, why it as dangerous, they had no idea what they had to do.

"Why is it dangerous?" Cyd asked the guy. This prompted Shelby to grab Cyd and pull her one step away from the guy, to talk to her in private.

"Eh, Cyd," Shelby then said, "maybe we should leave him alone." Cyd knew why Shelby said something like that: the guy scared her. Cyd had the same feeling about him, but they needed to have a bit of information about the world they had just stranded in. It's not like they could go home.

"We need to know why it is so dangerous out here. Those people are inside for a reason and I wanna know why." Then she repeated her question so she was sure the man heard it. He took another step in their direction, but not further than one step. As if he too wanted to keep his distance.

"You are not from around here, are you?" He said, and there was a slight change in his facial expression – he showed some interest in them, but it wasn't too visible. With the bar, he pointed to the road behind them. "The patrol is passing by in less than five minutes, so we do not have much time right now. Go find shelter and no, it is not enough to hide behind a tree or someone's house. I am certain someone will help you." Again, he waited for their reaction.

"So they're hiding in their houses because of some patrol. Who says they're not just afraid of you?" Cyd then said. As soon as she said it, she felt a little braver than she was for talking to this armed stranger.

"They are not…" he began, but paused, as if he was looking for the right word. Eventually, he began again, "I am not the reason they are hiding in their houses."

Before Shelby and Cyd could say anything, the young man continued. "This is your final warning. Go save yourself or stay and be killed. It is your choice. I will leave you alone." The girls turned to each other.

"What do you think we should do?" Shelby asked Cyd, "because I'd like to go inside now."

"Maybe that's what he wants," Cyd said, "even if going inside is the best thing to do. Maybe there are more guys like him walking around who don't want any people around." They turned their head to where the young man stood. Except that the guy had left and now they were all alone now.

"Where'd he go?" Cyd then asked, looking around to see if she could find the mystery man. Shelby shrugged.

"I don't know." she responded, not able to find the guy. Maybe it was better they couldn't see him. Maybe it was better he wasn't around.

"Maybe we should leave," Shelby then suggested. Cyd agreed with her. They had no idea where the guy was and the safest was to leave the place and go somewhere else, where this man might not be.

"Let's go home," Cyd said. They were going to the Marcus home. They had ended up a couple of blocks away from the house, so it wasn't a long walk. They were lucky the streets were the same as they were in the present.

"Do you think we're going to be killed?" Shelby eventually asked out loud.

"I don't think so," Cyd reacted, "This place doesn't look like it can kill you, does it?" She was right. This future Portland didn't look like it could kill you at any given minute, even if the emptiness of the streets and the silence were a little unnerving. After all these years, no matter how much have passed, this still was one of the most peaceful neighborhoods in Portland. They wondered what they would find once they reached the house.

As soon as they wanted to turn left, they found the patrol the man had told them about. It just wasn't what they had expected. For starters, there weren't any people involved. It was a two-robot patrol, along with one flying robot hovering above them as well. These robots, standing at least two meters tall, looked like they jumped right out of a sci-fi movie, blinking in the sunlight with creepy red dots as eyes. They didn't look friendly at all.

Cyd and Shelby screamed when the robots noticed them – which was almost immediately after they came in their sight. They tried running away but the robots were faster. Each of the robots grabbed the shoulders of the girls, almost crushing them in the process, and the third one came down. Cyd and Shelby wished they were able to time travel. They touched each other – the robots didn't keep them away from one another, so holding each other's hands was fairly easy – and thought about home in the present, but nothing happened. Yet. They hoped it would work, but it didn't.

" _You broke the law,"_ the third robot said in a mechanical, monotone voice. The girls wouldn't be surprised if all robots 'talked' like that, with that same voice. " _Going outside during curfew: 11:00-13:00 and 22:00-07:00. Former punishment: five years of prison, adding a year per minute outside. Current punishment: death._ " The third robot lifted his right arm and it turned into a blaster. Cyd and Shelby had no idea what it would do (except that it would blast them) or what the damage would be, or how much pain they were going to feel. The girls closed their eyes and cowered away, wondering if their lives would come to an end now.

"Sentinels!" Cyd and Shelby opened their eyes. They were saved by the same blonde guy who noticed them earlier. "I am outside during curfew. I carry a weapon," he moved his bar, "and a vintage gun, fully loaded. I am doing more illegal stuff than those two combined. You should focus on me." Cyd and Shelby were surprised the robots didn't attack him immediately, and that they just let him talk. The third sentinel turned its full attention to the young man.

The sentinel approached him with a reasonable speed, something it shouldn't have done. The young man tightened his grip on the bar and with one swing, he hit the sentinel's blaster. It was completely destroyed. It could be repaired, but not right away. He then also hit the sentinel's face before running towards Cyd and Shelby. The sentinel, who expected he ran away from the trio and not to them, went in the opposite direction.

"You followed us?" Shelby then said out loud, because he definitely hadn't been there when they left. The man nodded, looking behind him. The sentinel was coming back. He sighed. Then, he turned his back to the girls and pressed some buttons on his watch.

"Frey," he began, ignoring the girls behind him and the sentinels around him, "sentinels have found me. Ten minutes should be enough. Make it work. I apologize if I do not make it." Then, he hit the sentinels behind him on their arms, without hurting the girls, destroying their blasters in the process. It had the effect he had wished for – the sentinels released Cyd and Shelby and focused all their attention on the young man.

"Run," he said, not looking at them, focused on the sentinels around him. Shelby and Cyd ran away, not wanting to stay around these sentinels anymore. When they had created a reasonable distance with the sentinels – some sixty yards – they stopped and looked back.

The young man was still fighting the sentinels. The right arms of all three sentinels were broken. It was the arm where their blaster was located, so at least they couldn't hurt him that way anymore. Unfortunately, there are many more ways to make him suffer. One sentinel grabbed his bar and threw it away, breaking the glass of the window of someone's house. In the meantime, another one hit him in the stomach, sending him flying a few yards before hitting the concrete.

It was a miracle he recovered that fast and was able to crawl away. The third sentinel, the one who hadn't done much, came closer to the guy until he had caught up on him in a matter of seconds. The sentinel's left arm transformed into a four-inch-long blade. He pushed the blade in the guy's stomach and immediately pulled it out again.

"No!" Cyd and Shelby yelled when they saw the sentinel do it. They may not have known him at all, but he was willing to give his life for them. It didn't look good for him, though. He did move slightly, remaining completely silent, refusing to produce any sound, but it seemed he wouldn't survive another minute.

The sentinels turned their attention to Cyd and Shelby again. Without hesitation, Cyd and Shelby turned around and continued running. They would never be able to outrun these sentinels, but they didn't have to.

A bright white light covered them all. If they waved their hand in front of their faces, they wouldn't be able to see it. This light was present everywhere and it gave them an uneasy feeling, because it seemed like the world had turned into this white space. There was no sound, no grass, no concrete to walk on and yet they stood there safely. They didn't move, though, afraid they would fall or do something they would regret later.

The white bright light only remained for half a second before the regular world came back. As they looked around, their environment had changed. They were still in the future, but they were on the spot where they ended up after traveling here.

"What just happened?" Shelby wondered out loud. She turned her head to the nearby house, where she'd seen the lady. Again, the lady was standing in front of the window, non-verbally begging her to come inside her house.

"Did we do this?" Cyd then asked, confused, like Shelby. They had traveled back in time, but they hadn't done anything. They didn't touch each other and didn't think of this particular time – they had been too busy running away from the sentinels to care about that. Then, the woman was gone and they heard a familiar voice yell.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing?" They turned around and saw the blonde mystery guy stand there again, with his bar in his hand and the gun in his holster. He was fine, as if the sentinels hadn't attacked him. It didn't look like he knew what was going to happen soon. "It is dangerous out here. The patrol, the sentinels, they are coming in less than five minutes. I can bring you to a safe house, where they will not find you. It is just a few streets away." He pointed with a bar in the direction of the safe house, standing in the opposite direction of where the sentinels would come from. "You must come with me or you will die. The punishment for breaking curfew has changed." He took one careful step towards them, as not to scare them away. Yet all Cyd and Shelby could do was stare at him in awe. The part where sentinels tried to kill him hadn't come yet, but they had expected him to feel a little pain after this sudden time jump.

"Are you okay?" Shelby then asked with some newfound courage. "I thought those robots killed you." The young man's facial expression changed. You now could see confusion in his look.

"You remember the jump?" He wondered out loud. He wasn't expecting a reaction.

"Yes, we remember the jump. What's going on here?" Cyd reacted. The young man didn't respond right away.

"Change of plans. You are coming with me. I suggest you keep up, because I am not going to rescue you a second time." He then turned around and walked away. Because they had no choice and didn't want to stay around to be caught by the sentinels, they followed him. Saving their lives made Cyd and Shelby trust him a little, his bravery would allow him to protect them. And if there were more sentinels around, they would need the protection. So far, they didn't like the future at all.


	3. Jay and Frey

**And here's the next chapter! I bet you all want to know his name? Well, it's going to be revealed soon. More characters are to be introduced and Cyd and Shelby learn more about this version of Portland. But before we get there, first here are my replies to the reviews:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Thanks for reviewing! You're right - they're safe for now._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _The story will explain the time jump, just not right away. Well, the sentinels are supposed to be scary and, well, he only saved them because he knew he'd get out unharmed. You'll see where he's taking them today. Thanks_ _for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! We'll see where his loyalty lies. That's a good guess and they will be (for now - you never know when those sentinels show up). The woman's a good person, but I don't think she'll make an appearance again._

 _daphrose:_ _Well... they figured some things out, but not everything. The limits will be discussed eventually. The future is not complete without robots. You will learn more soon._ _Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _ **Future, time unknown**_

So far, their trip to the future was quite eventful. They figured out they couldn't time travel anymore. What a shock! And then there's this guy warning them about killer robots, only to be almost killed by those same robots not much later. Then they somehow traveled a few minutes back in time, and now the guy was taking them to a safe place. The two first minutes were spent in silence, as all three of them were afraid of the unknown. Then, the girls started to talk again.

"Do you trust him?" Shelby asked Cyd. They glanced at the young man. He had not slowed down or sped up, his bar leaning on his shoulder. He also hadn't checked if the two time-travelers were still following. He didn't seem to care, anyway, he just wanted them to be save. Right?

"I do," Cyd responded, "I mean, he saved our lives."

"But we know nothing about him." Shelby said. That was true. They only knew he was brave (or stupid) enough to almost be killed while saving civilians from the sentinels. Other than that, they had no idea what was going on. Maybe those sentinels were made by the police department and had he just opposed them. Or maybe he was just genuinely concerned about Portland's population.

"Good point!" Cyd reacted, then said a little louder: "Hey! Who are you?" He did not slow down, nor did he look back when he answered her question.

"That does not matter now," he replied.

"Where are you taking us?" Shelby asked. They have been in this neighborhood before, in the present, and she guessed he was taking them to his house. Where else would he be taking them?

"To a place where you will be staying until it is safe or until you have to leave. You will have to leave eventually, and you are not allowed to tell anyone where you have been. If you do tell someone, we will find you to take you out." Something in his voice convinced Cyd and Shelby he meant it, as if the place they were going to was a big secret only a selected few were allowed to keep. It also made them shut up and not ask any more questions.

Not much later, they reached the place they were going to. Cyd and Shelby stopped for a moment when they saw where he was going to. They had not expected this. The house they had just walked in was a hovel, a house ready to be demolished and replaced with something newer. There was rubble everywhere and as they walked over the debris, Cyd and Shelby wondered when this house would finally collapse.

They descended the stairs leading to the basement. As expected, that room too needed to quick makeover. They didn't notice the dirt this time: they were focusing on the secret doorway in the wall, hidden behind a bunch of crates. The few things they could see from their position were in much better shape than the entire house. Because the young man didn't slow down, Cyd and Shelby quickly followed him inside the mystery hallway.

What they saw down there was nothing like anything they've ever seen. It looked like what they had expected the future to be: sophisticated technology and cool futuristic designs (though a little darker than anticipated). They had reached one main room, about as big as their high school's gym. In the middle of that big hall there was a tall, square machine. There was a control panel facing in their direction, but Cyd nor Shelby had any idea what it was supposed to be. There were several hallways, about six or seven leading to other places.

The wall next to them was what drew their attention after they failed to figure out what the machine was for. They thought they were just carvings, but as they neared the wall, they could see several names and nicknames were carved into the wall. _Frey. Julius. Jean. Fred. Hannah. Danny. Cop Martin. Ellen. Mr. and Mrs. Turner. The stoic guard._

That's where they stopped reading. There was something about that last nickname that made them stop and think. They both had no idea what "stoic" meant. It didn't matter, though, for they had a feeling they would meet this stoic guard soon – especially since they were stuck in this time and had nowhere else to go.

"What's a stoic guard?" Cyd wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Shelby responded, and they both continued to try and figure out what it could mean. However, they got their response when the young man finally spoke up again.

"I am the stoic guard, even if I never wanted that nickname." He said. Cyd and Shelby turned around and looked at the guy, the guard. He lived up to his name, risking his life to save them. They still had no idea what the word 'stoic' meant, but they forgot about it when he announced that was his nickname. "I advise you to not memorize those names. Most of them are already gone," he then added.

Cyd and Shelby did look at the names, wondering who was already gone and what he meant by it. They could just have left this place, or they could be dead for all they knew. Eventually, they listened to the guard, who was talking to his watch. He was holding it close to his mouth, which made the girls believe it now could be used to call someone as well.

"Frey," he began, "I am at headquarters. I survived." He paused, then added, "There are two girls you have to meet. They are interesting to say the least." Then, he pressed a button on the watch again and stopped his call to Frey, whoever that may be.

"Who's Frey?" Shelby asked, but the guard didn't answer. He just stared at them, again with that emotionless expression on his face. Within a minute, though, they had their response.

"JAY!" Cyd, Shelby and the guard turned their heads in the direction of the sound, one of the corridors on their right.

"Who was that?" Shelby wondered out loud.

"She must be angry," Cyd said, based on the way the girl had shouted the name. The guard turned his head back to the girls to answer, but then immediately went back to watching the corridor.

"She is my sister." Not much later, the girl walked in. As Cyd predicted, she was rather angry. She had curly brown hair that went just past her shoulders and brown eyes. unlike her brother, she was wearing normal clothes, along with a pair of square glasses. As soon as she had gotten close to stoic guard Jay, she hit him in the face. The impact was audible. He let her hit him.

"What were you thinking, fighting sentinels?" she shouted, "At this hour of the day, no less! You should know better." Jay nodded.

"I do know better," he responded, "I need my midday walk and you know it. I cannot just give that up." Cyd and Shelby guessed there was a deeper meaning behind those words, one the girl understood. She sighed and shook her head.

"That walk… Jay, I know it's not easy for you to change your daily schedule and I respect that, but please, stop going out on midday walks. You could've died today!" She reached out her hand to him, hesitated, but eventually placed it on his shoulder. Jay only looked at the hand and once she placed it on his shoulder, he took it off of there.

"I did not die, I survived," Jay then said. Cyd ad Shelby thought they finally could say something in this situation, but Jay continued talking. "If you had waited five more seconds, I…"

"No!" she interrupted him, shaking her head. "No, I do not want to hear _that_." Jay shrugged

"I know it is what you want to know, Frey," he responded, "I know you. Five more seconds, Frey, and we would not have had this conversation. So…" he hesitated, "thank you for saving my life and skipping school to rescue me." Frey didn't respond. She just gave him this accusing, angry glare. It looked like the siblings weren't going to continue their conversation, so Cyd and Shelby took their chance and spoke up – though they probably should've done so earlier.

"Are you confused as well?" Shelby asked and Cyd nodded. Frey turned her head to the two girls, as if this was the first time she actually noticed them. Then, she continued her conversation with Jay, though this time it wasn't about his recklessness.

"Who are they?" she asked him, sounding less furious than before, "and why did you bring them here?" Jay looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"You do not know them?" He asked, then immediately continued, "They remember the time jump. I brought them here because I thought you knew them." Frey's jaw dropped and started to stare at the two girls.

"I don't know them," she said as she shook her head. She remained silent for a while, keeping her thoughts for herself. Eventually, she said: "Who are you?"

"I'm Cyd and this is Shelby." Cyd said. Frey nodded and looked away. Then, she placed her hand at her chin, as if she was trying to remember something. Jay just looked at her, face showing no emotion. Eventually, she groaned.

"Darn it—"

"Language!"

"—those names sound familiar!" Frey said. As she looked at her brother, he shook his head, not agreeing with his sister's choice of words. "C'mon, Jay, help me out. Why do those names sound so familiar?" she then asked. He waited a few seconds – maybe because of her choice of words – and then answered her question.

"The two girls in our presence are, if I am correct, Cyd Ripley and Shelby Marcus. They are two supposed time travelers who were in custody of Globo Digi Dyne." He said, then looked at the girls. "Today is the 13th of April of the year 2067." Cyd and Shelby looked at him, surprised. They never told him their last names. Wait, did that mean they were celebrities in the future?

"Jay!" Frey said, "You can't say that! we don't know from which year they come." She may have been debating whether to whack Jay in his arm, but eventually decided not to do that. Jay

"I think they are from 2015," Jay said, "it will be either late 2015 or early 2016, depending on what they know about their future." Cyd and Shelby looked at him, again, with a surprised look on their faces. How can one person know so much about them. He could guess the year they were from, but it was hard to guess the exact date and their full names.

"That's true," Shelby replied eventually, confirming they were indeed from early 2016, "Are we some sort of celebrities?"

"Well…" Frey reacted. The way she said it didn't sound too positive. "Yes and no. You are going to be involved in a scandal at GDD. The CEO there, Janet Smythe – you may know her – she told the world she discovered some teenagers who could time travel. But she couldn't prove it, despite her theory. After the…" she hesitated, "…failure of the experiment, GDD went bankrupt." Jay rolled with his eyes. Cyd and Shelby still had no idea why they were some kind of celebrities. Frey continued: "And since you're standing right here, that means that she was right after all! There really is a possibility to travel through time without the use of machines! That's so great! If we could just…"

"Wow, wait!" Cyd interrupted her. She figured Frey would just continue talking if they didn't interrupt him. "We still don't know why we're some sort of celebrities here. Are we somehow involved in that experiment?" she said, even if they guessed what Frey was talking about.

"No, you don't…" Frey then said, smile on her face, but she stopped. She turned her head to her brother, "Should we tell them?"

"Maybe they already know what is going to happen to them," Jay said, looking at Cyd and Shelby with indifference, "We will have to tell them about the time after Globo Digi Dyne. I think they are stuck in this time, so they better know how things work here." He turned his head to Frey, who was watching her brother. When she realized Jay was waiting for an answer, she shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe!" she said, sighing. "Do you even want to know what's going to happen?"

Cyd and Shelby looked at each other. Even without saying one word, they both knew exactly what they wanted. They wanted to know how life continued after the future lab and the supposed bankrupt of GDD. How things could have gone downhill from that point. Where the robots came from. If Barry and Naldo were still alive, even if the chances that they knew them were small. If this year's 2076, then they should be 75 by now.

They agreed with it, nodding. The siblings looked at each other. "Do I need to tell them?"

"No, I'll do it." Frey said, glaring at him. it was more like an angry glance before she turned to the two time travelers. She took a deep breath and then began telling them about her and her brother's past, and Cyd and Shelby's future.


	4. History lesson

**Welcome back to the future! Today's April 13, 2067, and it's about time we learn about the history of this world the siblings have to live in. There's been tragedy, there's been betrayal, there's been good news and there's been the wonderful inventions that make the future a wonderful place. (except if you live in Portland). This is long overdue, so here it finally is. Anyway, let's go to the chapter, but first the reviews:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl_ _:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Here's the next chapter._

 _Nrrd:_ _No, the time jump wasn't based on Lost or anything else. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _Guest:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Jay really hates any kind of swear words, even if it is something like that._

 _TKDP:_ _As the title suggest, today you'll get to know everything that happened. Nobody would be stupid to mess with Jay. Yep, GDD's gone. But there's still ET (I'm not talking 'bout the alien). Thanks for reviewing!_

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Well, they're certainly not boy- and girlfriend. That'd be weird. You'll have to read the chapter to know what happened to them (though Frey and Jay don't know the exact details, they didn't live there.)_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _ **April 13, 2067**_

Frey took a breath and looked at her brother. She knew he would correct her if anything she said was incorrect. Then, she started to talk.

"In the summer of 2016, Janet Smythe held a press conference. She told everyone she had found two girls who could time travel. She might have been a little too enthusiastic to announce what she had discovered, because I think that, at that time, she didn't have any proof they could actually time travel. And then, she, er…" Frey looked at Jay. He was more familiar with everything that happened in the past than she was. Yet she wanted to tell it. If he were to talk about it, he would include every small detail and every date and possible the correct time of when exactly it happened that day. He'd be talking about facts, while she would be telling a story.

Jay only needed that look on his face to continue the history lesson. "Janet Smythe told the press she found two time traveling girls and that she would do everything it takes to discover how they can travel through time. One of the reporters wanted to know if there were any limits. Janet Smythe said she would go as far as possible, while making sure these girls would be treated with respect and that they would not be harmed. At that moment, one of the scientists walked into the room, followed by a middle-aged man. the scientist tried to keep the man out of the room. The man started to yell at her, telling the press that she had killed his daughter and her friend. Janet Smythe tried to save her hide, but she could not. The press had already recorded it. the man told them the names of the victims: Cyd Ripley and Shelby Marcus.

A week later, on a Saturday, two graves were made for the girls. There were no bodies, so it is possible Globo Digi Dyne got rid of the bodies before they could be buried properly. Another possibility is that it was all a set up to get them out of Portland and to start a new life somewhere else. There have been various reports of people seeing or meeting one of the girls, with and without a different hair color and style, but they have never been sure." Jay had talked as if he had been present at the time of the press conference. Cyd and Shelby stared at them. If that was ever going to happen to them – and it would – they wouldn't be able to remember those details if one year has already passed. They looked at him with open mouths and Frey turned her head.

"Why don't you want to go back to school again?" She asked him. His face remained blank.

"Because it would be odd for me to go back." he answered, "I have not been there for four years. There will be people who knew me. They will recognize me. Not to mention the cameras which are omnipresent in all public buildings, including your school. I cannot risk getting caught."

"C'mon! You'd be the best student the history teacher's ever seen!" Frey tried to convince him. He nodded in response, but didn't say anything else. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it.

"Why can't you go to school?" Cyd wanted to know. His head turned to the two time travelers.

"Because I have been officially dead since the accident at the gas station in 2063." was his answer. He might have assumed the girls knew about the accident at the gas station. He may not have assumed it in the first place, but could feel like not giving every piece of information.

"I wasn't there, but he told me what happened," Frey said, "We were running from sentinels and our chase brought us to a gas station. I hid in the bushes while he tried to fight them. The sentinels were too strong for him – after all, he was only thirteen – and they hit the gas. I don't remember the details – I'm sure Jay does, though – but the gas station exploded with the sentinels. Jay survived, obviously, but they never found a body and assumed it was obliterated during the explosion. Since then he's been officially dead. I have to pretend he's dead. Only I know he's still alive. The others, even those who come here sometimes, don't know he's still alive or that we're related, if they didn't know us before." Frey paused and may have wanted to continue the story of Jay's 'death', but he was faster.

"We were telling them about their history," Jay said. "History needs to be told in chronological order to maintain a clear overview and now you have skipped a big part of history." He turned his head to Frey, "Can you please continue with Globo Digi Dyne going bankrupt? We can give this a place in history once all other important events have been mentioned."

"Alright then," Frey then said, looking at her brother, "We'll continue _chronologically_ , okay?" Jay agreed with it and nodded. He continued to stare at the two time travelers while Frey would continue to teach them the history of Portland – that is, until the Ides of March 2051, Jay guessed. He figured he'd have to tell that part of the story. Frey didn't like that day.

"Anyway," Frey continued, drawing the attention of Cyd and Shelby again, "This event shocked the world. Employers quit, people didn't want to buy their products anymore and GDD went bankrupt. Without this massive company, there was enough space for another company to grow. From the beginning ET was a big success…"

"E.T.?" Shelby asked, interrupting Frey, "Isn't that a movie?"

"Yes, it's about an alien who wants to call home." Cyd replied, turning her head to Shelby. They would have had an interesting conversation about that movie if Frey hadn't interrupted them.

"No, it's not about the movie," she explained, "It's an abbreviation, just like GDD is for Globo Digi Dyne. ET stands for Eisenberg Technologies." Cyd and Shelby's jaws dropped when they heard that last name.

"Eisenberg?" Shelby asked, "As in, Barry Eisenberg?" She just had to know. For all they knew, it could refer to another Eisenberg who decided to create a company with that name. It could have been any Eisenberg.

"Yeah," Frey confirmed, "Barry Eisenberg? Wait, do you know him?" she then asked. Cyd and Shelby didn't answer right away, but thought of the future of their friend. Barry owned his own company in the future!

"Yes, he was one of our best friends." Cyd responded to the question. Frey nodded, looking away from them.

"Right, now I remember," she then said, a smile appearing on her face. "He was close friends with the time travelers! I don't know why I keep forgetting that."

"Because it is one unimportant detail in the life of Barry Eisenberg, unless you count his research as an argument why it matters as a detail." Jay responded. Frey sighed.

"That was not a question," she said. She definitely hadn't expected an answer from him, especially not that answer.

"I know," Jay then said, refusing to look at his sister. She sighed again. Cyd and Shelby thought about the meaning of Jay's words. They had no idea if they should believe him. Were they really an unimportant detail in Barry's life? Without them, he wouldn't have discovered time travel (even though only Cyd and Shelby received that power) and would have just kept Naldo from emitting smoke.

Frey continued her explanation.

"Anyway, Barry found his company about three years after GDD went bankrupt. It was a big hit. It began with phones and mad some great pieces of technology. It also sometimes worked together with Davenport Industries for some delicate pieces of technology since ET worked on scientific discoveries most of the time and makes products just to finance those scientific projects. Off course, all the technology from their collaborations are a little obsolete, but they're still sold, even if some adjustments were made. Like this one." Frey extended her arm to the girls. She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a watch, one a little bigger than what they were used to seeing. The only difference was that it showed the time digitally and there were a lot of other apps present.

"Is that an Apple watch?" Shelby asked out loud. Frey shook her head, smiling.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh," she said, "You're from the past, you don't know about this yet. First, ET and DI are much better than Apple!" she then said, "This watch has almost every app you can imagine. When you call people, you can choose to talk to their holographic images – if you want, it's optional – and it will take you anywhere within Philadelphia borders."

"Wait, that watch can teleport?" Cyd then asked and Frey nodded.

"Sure can! We can't go past Portland borders and have to say where you want to go to, but it works and everyone's grateful for the invention. If time travel was possible, they would try to invent teleportation, too. And they did! The product was released before the sentinels took control, so nearly everyone in the States could have bought one." Cyd and Shelby stared at it in awe. What a great invention. And Barry cracked teleportation! And also time travel – how else could they have traveled back in time without touching each other or thinking about the right time? They should really ask her about that.

Jay spoke up before them.

"You forgot some important details," he said, glancing from his sister to the two time travelers.

"I didn't," she told him, glaring at him for one moment, "geez, Jay, I was only telling them about technology. I was about to continue _chronologically,_ " she emphasized that last word, "That okay for you?"

"Yes, it is," he replied, "If I am correct, the next important date is March 15, 2051." Frey groaned.

"Would you stop using that phrase? You and I both know that you're almost always correct." She took a breath and may have decided to ignore her brother for as long as possible. "As Jay mentioned, 2051 was an important historic year. Barry was 50 years old and still worked in his company, trying to figure out time travel. He didn't want to test it until he was certain it wouldn't harm the test subjects. Oh, and his son also worked there. He…"

"Barry has a son?" Cyd asked.

"He got married?" Shelby asked immediately after Cyd's question. Frey nodded.

"Yeah," she responded, and she shot a sad smile in their direction, "He called him Julius, after famous scientist Julius Fleming. In 2051, he was in his late twenties, I think. Anyway, Barry was working on time travel when his son told him there was a breakthrough. Barry followed him. He tried it and… there was an explosion and…" She trailed off, hung her head. Jay took a step back. Shelby took a step forward and put a supportive hand on Frey's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Frey lifted her head and looked at Shelby. Even though she was so sad, she forced out a smile. A single tear streamed down her face as she put her hand on Shelby's. Jay watched from a distance, with a look on his face that varied from confusion to interest.

"I'm fine. Thanks." Frey said, "It's just that… well, it's always hard to talk about family, isn't it?" Cyd took a step forward as well.

"Family?" she wondered, "What are you talking about?" Frey looked at her brother, who nodded once. Then, she turned her head back to Cyd and Shelby with a sad smile on her face.

"Barry Eisenberg… he's my – _our_ – grandfather." Cyd and Shelby's jaw dropped. There was already a lot of information about this time, but Barry's future shocked the both. He didn't just get married and got a son, but that son probably also got married and his wife gave birth to Jay and Frey Eisenberg. When they had imagined Barry's kids and grandkids, they would have never expected them to be like Jay and Frey.

"Wow…" was all they could say. Frey nodded.

"Yeah… well, I wasn't born when it happened and Jay was just a baby. I regret not being able to meet him. How's he like?" she asked.

"He's a nice guy," Cyd and Shelby explained, "He's a bit socially awkward, but he's super smart and good at science. One of his inventions made us time travelers."

"It was by accident," Cyd added.

"I'm gonna have to believe you." she said, "Anyway, we're trailing off again. After Barry's… you know, dad took over the company. He focused more on time travel and less on the products to finance his research. He searched for sponsors and got them. He also worked on a secret project nobody was allowed to know about until it was released. He's the creator of the sentinels. But that was in a time when the sentinels were still controlled by dad."

"What happened?" Cyd asked when Frey didn't continue. Instead of responding to her question, she turned her head to Jay.

"Would you please continue? I don't think I'll be able to do it." Jay nodded. "Please, don't give too much details. They don't have to know exactly when and where everything happened." so Jay continued to tell history the way he learned it. He left almost no room for interruption and talked until the story was told. In the meantime, Frey nodded, agreed with everything Jay said.

"Our father continued to adapt these sentinels. They would be put to god use in a certain period of time to see if they functioned well. The experiment was a success, because they are still used today. Crime rates dropped with 87,5 per cent after one year of work. The police department did not need to spend money on them – Eisenberg Technologies financed them. Half of the corps had to retire or be fired because they were becoming useless with the sentinels running things smoothly and efficiently. Because it was such a big success, our father gave them upgrades, so they would think independently and be more independent in general. The plan backfired.

The sentinels took control. They were programmed to just protect Portland, so they secured the area and never let anyone go in or out since. The army tried to -rescue us, but they either had to retreat or were killed by the sentinels. Their base is Eisenberg Technologies, where they kept us as prisoners for a long time. One day, they separated me and Frey from our father. All we got was one message and after Frey explained the emotional meaning behind those words, I figured we would never see him again. We were nine and ten when the sentinels murdered him.

Even if they killed our father, the sentinels did not touch our democracy. They make the rules, but they have to be accepted by the majority of the city hall staff before it becomes a Portland law. They did not consult the inhabitants when it came to the severity of the punishment for breaking curfew. We are living alongside the sentinel police officers, not under the tyranny of them. They are strict, yes, but we have the chance to live in a city free from crime, which is one of the advantages of living here." That is where he stopped talking and then just left Frey to take care of them and their questions. Frey didn't try to call him back and just let him go.

"Don't mind him," she said, "he needs his alone time and, well, he's used to being alone at this time of the day. So, that's our history, your friends' future. Any questions?" Frey didn't need to ask that particular question, because there still were some questions they wanted answered.

"If you were kids when it happened, how do you know everything?" Shelby asked.

"I learned it at school. During the first history lesson of the year, everyone's reminded of how cruel the sentinels can be because, well, they're robots, they're practically heartless. They don't want the Portland youth to die because they don't obey the sentinel rules."

"How was it possible to time travel?" Cyd almost immediately asked, "You didn't say anything about them finding a way for people to travel in time." Frey nodded.

"Right, we didn't mention that… well, they didn't figure out how to time travel. I did!" She said it with a big smile on her face, proud of what she has achieved. Not many people, not even Barry, managed to figure out how to do it. She really was a descendant of Barry, if she figured out time travel. Just as smart as, maybe even smarter than, her grandfather.

"Really?" Shelby asked. Frey nodded.

"Yup! Well, it's not like what you are used to. It's something what I like to call 'machinal time travel'. Let's move to the machine that makes it possible." Frey walks towards the square machine in the middle of the room, the one Cyd and Shelby had seen when they walked in. She stood at the keyboard of the time travel device.

"Before you ask – yes, it needs to be this big!" Frey then said, "We need a lot of energy to make it work, that's why we only use it to travel a few minutes back per time we use it. We never pass the limit of half an hour, because we'd risk a Portland-wide black-out. We can only travel back in time, so we can't go to the future. We use it to fix the little things and once or twice per month to save Jay's life. Nobody remembers the time jump, except those whose names are stored in this machine. Currently, it's just my own name and Jay's. And apparently, you're able to remember the time jump as well. But then again, you're time travelers, you deal with these kind of situation constantly, I think." Shelby and Cyd nodded while they listened to the insightful information they were given. Then, last but not least, they were going to ask one question, maybe even the most important of all.

"How is it possible that we can't time travel anymore?" Shelby then asked, "We jumped here without problems, but we can't get out of this time. No offense, but we really wanna go home." Cyd nodded to support her friend – she too wanted to go home as soon as possible. Frey thought about it for a minute, but eventually shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what could have caused your sudden inability to time travel. I'll make sure to try and figure something out. If I could time travel, I wouldn't be happy to be stranded in a strange time. Until then, I suggest you try to stay here and inside. Some people got arrested because people didn't have updated papers." Frey said. "Jay and I live here. This is one of dad's projects that got canceled. This base, along with others, never were destroyed and now we're living here. There's food in the fridge, we've got a bathroom, several different bedrooms and a lounge." So that's where those several different hallways would lead them. They were about to ask where they would be able to find everything, when someone else walked in.

Cyd and Shelby's jaws dropped when they noticed a redhead, who walked in. If they didn't know better, they would guess it was either Bret or Chet. Either way, there were some things that looked unfamiliar, and there was no way he could be Bret or Chet – though he could be related to them.

"Hey Fred," Frey greeted the newcomer. _Even their names sound alike,_ both Cyd and Shelby thought. "Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be at school." Fred shrugged.

"Do I have to? I can always stay here for the rest of my life." He said and then looked at the two girls.

"You could, but that would be boring and lonely. You sure you wanna spend all your time around Jay?" Frey then responded. When she noticed Fred was staring at the time travelers. "Fred, these are Caitlin and Sara. They're gonna stay here for a while. The sentinels are looking for them for a so far unknown reason. Do you want to give them a tour of the base?" She added with a smile. Fred nodded.

"Sure. Follow me, ladies." He said and Cyd and Shelby had to follow him. the way Frey told Fred their 'names' made clear what she wanted. There were real life time travelers, the two who died because they had those powers, so saying their real names was not an option. They'd have to stick with Caitlin and Sara until they would go home. Cyd agreed to take Sara as her name while Shelby would be Caitlin.

Fred showed them every important place. The bathroom wasn't too big, but the bedrooms were twice the size of their own bedroom in 2016. They learned Frey had her own room, but she would be happy to share them with the two. The dining room consisted of a couple of tables with enough place for twenty people, two fridges filled with food and drinks. They ate something before continuing the tour. They saw where Jay spend most of his time: his room/the training area. When they were there, Jay was hitting the several improvised dummies with his bar and grunted "leave" without even looking at them. Fred showed them the only 'empty' room of the base, where everyone who had nothing to do would go to. Then, he left them alone and they finally had a chance to talk in peace and explore the base freely.

When it was about nine o'clock, they decided to go to bed. There was nothing else they could do – they only had what they were wearing and carrying in their pockets. They did talk more about this weird world, how things would be in the present, comparing their present with this future. They wondered if Naldo was still alive, if he had kids and grandkids.

Some of their questions about the future may never be answered. And maybe that was for the better. If they figured out how to survive the future lab, they would see all their questions answered in due time.


	5. School

**And it's time to go back to 2067! For some reason, this chapter was hard to write. But here it is, so enjoy! But first, here are my responses to the reviews from last chapter:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I don't know, the names were given at random. If you want an explanation, you could say Cyd liked the name Sara better and Shelby liked Caitlin better._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Yeah, it's hard to adapt to another time. And yes, Barry has collaborated with Davenport Industries, more than once. More information about Naldo and Fred will follow in the next few chapters. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Yep, Barry's dead. But hey, when they get their powers back, they can travel to the present, when he's still alive. More info about Fred will follow. I did put a lot of thought into that. I wanted them to stand out as Eisenbergs, and not just as 'grandkids of'. Yes, who took which name isn't too important to the plot. I only realized the names had the same beginning letter when the reviews pointed it out. And it wasn't Barry who gave the sentinels a better mind - you have to blame his son, Julius, for the sentinels. That was all his idea, which he got after Barry died._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 14, 2067_**

The next morning, Cyd and Shelby had no idea what to do. Fred didn't stay for the night (he had a mom and dad to go back to) and he didn't show up in the morning either. Nobody else came in or out of the base. It was just the two of them and the Eisenberg siblings. Frey had already gotten up and got ready for school. Jay was still asleep. According to Frey, he just pretended to be asleep and thought of what he wanted to do today. She also told them there was little variation in his daily schedule, only changing when the sentinels found him.

It was around seven in the morning. Frey had left a minute ago to go to school and Jay was presumably still in his room. Cyd and Shelby were in the kitchen, just finished breakfast. They didn't want to do the dishes.

"I'm bored," Cyd said eventually. Shelby nodded.

"Me too," Shelby said. "I wish there was something we could do." This gave Cyd an idea. It was crazy, it was daring, it was possibly dangerous, but whatever! Their lives as time travelers have already made their lives crazy and dangerous, so why not?

"Maybe we can go visit your house!" Cyd said. She was getting bored and the grey and black walls didn't help. Going out would cure her boredom. Though it was tempting to just say 'yes' and go find the house where they live in the present, Shelby had to question the circumstances.

"Cyd, we can't just walk out of here." The memory of the sentinels was still fresh. She had nightmares that night. There were sentinels, and she was there with Cyd and Jay, but Frey and Barry were also there. In the nightmare, the sentinels killed them all, stabbing them the same way they had stabbed Jay before the time jump. Who knows what the sentinels would do when they went out on the streets again. Those robots wouldn't remember, but Cyd and Shelby would and they would panic when they stood eye to eye again with them.

"C'mon, Shelbs, it won't be too long," Cyd pleaded, "We just walk out, go visit the house, and come back here. They won't even notice we're gone." Shelby sighed, weighed the different possibilities. It couldn't hurt that much, right? As far as they knew, Jay always went on his midday walk, the only moment of the day (the most dangerous moment of the day) he came out. So why couldn't they just visit the place where they lived? Besides, the sentinels said the curfew ended around seven AM, and they've already passed that hour. It was save to go out on the streets.

"Okay, fine," Shelby gave in, "but we are coming back here." She didn't want to dwell on the streets of Future Portland for too long. Those sentinels were terrifying. Cyd cheered and together, they left the base and went back on the street.

It was about dawn, so the street lights were still on. Without them, you were still able to see something with the rising sun in the east. Cyd and Shelby walked on the sidewalk and, before leaving, tried to remember the house number. Eventually, they opened a note on Cyd's phone and wrote down the street and house number because they knew they would forget it.

Then, they walked to Shelby's house. There was a complete change of atmosphere when these people were present in public. The city was alive, as people rode their bikes to school or work, and several cars drove on the road. The activity reassured them. They felt at ease to see other people out on the streets, even if they were different from the people in 2016.

As they went there, they tried to create an image of what the house may be. Someone could live there now with their own families. The building could've been taken down and there could be something completely different on the space, like another house, or a market, or something else.

When they finally reached the house, it couldn't live up to their fantasies. Their mouths fell open when they saw the ruins. The house was not too different from the house standing on top of the base they were brought to. This one looked far worse than the base. There was no more first floor and when they looked at the garden, they could see that Barry's old Winnebago was still standing. It wasn't completely ruined, but it probably wasn't safe to enter either.

They walked out of the garden and from the street, they watched the building, wondering why nobody else was living in it. As if someone wanted that it would not be taken down or renovated, while nobody wanted to live in it anymore. This also made them think about Bret and Chet and Naldo. Where were they now? Did they ever get out of Portland? Was Fred really related to the twins and Shelby or was it just one coincidence?

Then, sentinels approached them. Cyd and Shelby held their breaths, unable to run away. These two looked just like the ones that attacked them yesterday. They sure could turn their arms in some sort of blasters and blades, but they didn't. That didn't mean the sentinels would use them or that the time travelers weren't afraid of them.

" _Going near a construction site is dangerous_ ," one of the sentinels said with that monotone robotic voice. they may need an update, because their old house didn't look like it was a construction site. It could be rather ready for demolition than construction. Cyd and Shelby had no idea what to say or if the sentinels would say anything else. They didn't have to, though, because someone saved them from the sentinels.

"Hey!" Cyd and Shelby turned their heads. A random girl with backpack walked towards them with a big smile on her face. She had shouted the word as if they had known each other for a long time and hadn't seen each other for days, maybe even weeks.

"It's so good to see you again!" She hugged them both, "Finally you're feeling better. But you shouldn't have waited outside for me, girls. I told you to wait where you live." She turned to the sentinels, "They've been sick for a long time and now they're finally better. They were supposed to wait where they live, but I guess they couldn't wait to see me again, and neither could I. So please forgive them, they just wanted to see me. Have a nice day! C'mon, girls, let's go to school." She grabbed their wrists and dragged them away from the sentinels. Cyd and Shelby accepted it, following the girl and leaving the sentinels behind.

When they were far enough from the sentinels to have a normal conversation, the girl let go of their wrists and sighed in relief. "That was close!" They stopped walking and the smile disappeared from the girl's face.

"Thanks for helping us out," Shelby said. The girl nodded.

"No problem," she said. "Always glad to help. So, what were you even doing there? Did you want to go to jail?" Cyd and Shelby later agreed this future of Portland was weird when it came to laws. You went to jail if you came near demolition (no, 'construction') sites and would be killed if you broke curfew.

"No," Cyd replied "we were just curious. Did you know Barry Eisenberg used to work as a teenager in the trailer behind that house?" They obviously couldn't tell her the truth and since Barry was a known scientist in this future, why not give her a bit of information? The girl shook her head.

"I didn't. I'm Liz, by the way." She then added and looked at the two girls expectantly. Shelby realized she would want to know their names.

"I'm Caitlin and this is Sara." Shelby then said. Liz nodded.

"You look familiar," Liz said, looking at them as if she wanted to remember something. "Have we met before?" Wow, was it that easy for people to picture them? Did everyone in Portland know who they were or did they just bump into the few people who know their names and their appearances?

"No, we haven't met," Shelby said, "we get that a lot. Most people we meet say we look familiar."

"We got those kind of faces," Cyd added. Luckily, Liz accepted their explanation. She still thought they looked familiar, but probably didn't think about it too much anymore. They had no idea what Liz thought about.

"So," she said, starting the conversation again, "I'm guessing you grew up here, or else you wouldn't be in Portland. How is it possible I've never met you?" Even if she was just curious, Cyd and Shelby had to lie. How else were they going to make sure nobody figured out who they were?

"We both just moved into this neighborhood," Shelby said, "We used to live in East Portland, but we moved here."

"Great!" Liz said with a smile on her face, "So we'll be going to the same school, then?" Cyd nodded. The closest high school in the area was West Portland High, the one they were familiar with and where Liz might go to school.

"Yeah, we're going to the same school." Cyd replied.

"Sweet!" Liz reacted. Cyd and Liz smiled, as did Shelby, but she did see one minor detail Cyd hadn't thought about. They were supposedly dead in this time, so they weren't enrolled at West Portland High anymore.

"Yeah," Shelby said. "Let's go to school. You can give us a tour!" Liz nodded – she seemed to like that idea.

"Sure! Wouldn't want you to get lost on your first day." She then looked at her watch and her smile faded away "Wow, is that the time? We gotta go right now. I'm guessing school started at seven thirty in the east, too. we have ten minutes. Let's go!" And the three girls went to Portland High. They walked faster than they usually would. Liz' fear of being late probably was a result of the new laws. They wondered what the punishment was for being late for school (or work), but they didn't want to find out by actually arriving late.

They arrived five minutes before school started. Liz spread her arms. "Welcome to West Portland High." She introduced them to the main hall. Cyd and Shelby looked around in awe. Fifty-one years have passed since they last walked through the hall while it was, for them, just yesterday. They were surprised about how everything changed, yet it still looked familiar. The lockers were still blue, only they had been repainted and were now a bit darker. The plants were removed, but there came more benches in the places. The walls were now white and gray and there were little to no posters. The hall was filled with people and somehow, it made them feel at ease. After everything that happened, they could do something normal. They could feel normal for as long as it would last.

It didn't last too long. They noticed Frey in the crowd. She was talking to Fred. When she turned her head and saw Cyd and Shelby, she excused herself and walked to the three girls with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Liz. Who are they?" she immediately said.

"These are Caitlin and Sara," Liz pointed at Cyd and Shelby, "They just moved here from East Portland. It's their first day of school."

"Well, welcome to West Portland High," Frey said, looking at the girls. "I'm sure you'll like it here. Say, Liz, if you ever need any help…" She had turned back to Liz to ask that question, but she interrupted Frey.

"No, but thanks, Frey. I'm sure I can show them every good spot in the school." Frey nodded. She looked away from Liz and then looked at Cyd and Shelby.

"Okay then. But if you ever need any help, you can always come to me. Meet me at the restroom and then maybe we can talk between second and third period, okay?" Cyd and Shelby nodded and Frey continued, "You'd better stick with Liz. She knows how to keep people out of trouble." She gave them one last smile and then went back to Fred.

"So, that was Frey Eisenberg. She's a nice girl." Liz said about her, but Cyd and Shelby already knew that. she was acting as if she had no idea who they were. Maybe that was the best thing for everyone. Other than that, they could think of her last words. she wanted to meet them between second and third period at the restrooms. She also wanted them to stick with Liz. They were certain Frey meant to say that Liz would make sure they wouldn't get into trouble. She saved them once, she could save them again, even if she had no idea what was really going on.

When the bell rang, Cyd and Shelby went to the secretary's office to tell them they needed everything to survive this day, week, month, for how long they were stuck in the future. That way, they'd have something to look forward to daily and wouldn't be stuck with Jay in the base.

They patiently waited for their schedules and agreed to meet Frey at the restroom between second and third period. Whatever she had to tell them, it would have to be important.


	6. The first day

**Hey guys! Here I am again! Sorry for not updating sooner, but I was a little busy with two other stories of mine and I'm sorry if this chapter sucks. I tried my hardest and I hope you'll like it.** **Anyway, here's the newest chapter! First days of school are always exciting and horrible, aren't they? But first, here are my responses to the reviews:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you love it._

 _TKDP:_ _Yep, they have to go to school again (though we won't see much of it anymore in the future). There's a specific reason for certain laws, even if it may never be revealed. No, Frey wouldn't say something bad in public - Jay would, but not Frey. Yeah, it's just a ruin now. It must be even harder since they still lived there two days ago (from their POV, that is). Thanks for reviewing!_

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Liz really is a friendly girl. This chapter reveals why Liz and Frey know each other and what Frey thought when she saw them. I'm pretty sure Jay's awake, eating breakfast. He never stays in bed past eight and at exacty eight he gets up, not a minute too early or late._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 14, 2067_**

It didn't take too long before they knew what classes they had to attend for as long as they were stuck in this time. Luckily, they could arrange they had the same classes. The first two periods flew by. Cyd and Shelby were barely able to pay attention, because they had no idea what the teachers were talking about. It was February when they left, and April when they arrived. They may still be in the same grade, but they missed two months of school. Both the teachers and students bought their story of just moving to this part of the city and everyone left them alone until they were ready to make contact with them. After all, it was never fun to be the new kid. Being in a familiar environment with unfamiliar people wasn't too much fun either.

When the bell rang at the end of the second period, Cyd and Shelby went to the restroom. The location hadn't changed over the years, so it was easy to find. When they arrived there, they noticed Frey was already standing in front of it. She wore a smile on her face and waved at them when she noticed they were coming.

"Hey!" Shelby greeted her when they were close enough to communicate. She wanted to ask what she wanted to tell them, but couldn't. Frey walked into the restroom before she could hear what Shelby wanted to say. Cyd and Shelby followed her in there. They noticed a placard on the door, saying ' _out of use_ '.

When Frey turned her head, her smile had disappeared and made place for an irritated look. Whatever it was she wanted to tell them, she had waited to show it until the door leading into the bathroom was completely closed.

"Are you out of your mind?" Frey then said out loud, "Coming to school? You could get caught!"

"Get caught?" Cyd then asked, "What are you talking about?" Frey calmed down after having said that. she must've been waiting to say that since she saw them with Liz.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized, "I'm still getting used to time travelers being real." She paused, "I meant that there are cameras everywhere. Name any public place – there will be cameras. The things they record here are sent to sentinel headquarters. You could easily get caught." Cyd and Shelby's mouths dropped. They had a dual feeling about everything they learned about this twisted future. On one hand were they curious about how much this world differed from the one they knew. On the other hand, whenever they learned something new, it was because they broke one of the many weird, strange laws or because they had no idea how things went in this future."

"There are cameras everywhere?" Shelby asked, wondering why she hadn't seen them yet. They must be hidden well. Frey shook her head.

"No, they're not… There are cameras in all public places. Libraries, markets, schools. And if there are none, the sentinels there keep a close eye on us. I'm already glad the council was able to vote them off the streets, restrooms and private homes." She looked at them, but the only reaction she got were the confused looks on their faces. She then reminded herself they had no idea how Portland functioned.

"We have a council," Frey then explained, "The sentinels are more of a police department with too much power. They still value human lives, though, and they allowed us to have a council representing our community. They won't allow us to vote for new laws or to delete some of them. We can, however, change laws. First they were allowed to film everywhere, but our council voted for a change, so that at least they are not allowed to use cameras on the streets and in houses. Sadly enough, we couldn't prevent the harsher punishment for breaking curfew."

"What kind of a system is this?" Cyd asked with a look of horror on her face. She was reminded of the evil governments so many movies depicted.

"Hey, it's working out, even if we can't leave Portland. To think those sentinels were created for our safety! They were activated to help the cops. Most of the laws were suggested because they actually keep us safe. There are no criminals nowadays. Well, our little organization is, but nobody knows about that." The tone in her voice suggested she would like it a secret.

"You know, this world is much more complicated than I thought," Shelby commented. She turned her head to Cyd, who agreed with her best friend. Frey nodded, too.

"Yeah, we know. We can't help it," she said, "We're trailing of here. anyway, there are cameras out there. Please, be careful. Do not say your real names out loud – just use Caitlin and Sara, even when you think you're alone. The only real safe place where you can use them is at the base. And it's best to pretend you don't know me or Fred or anyone you're going to see at the base. For everyone's safety, we all do."

The bell rang. Before Cyd or Shelby could react, Frey told them one more thing. "You'll have to walk home – the watch can only transport one person at a time. I'll wait for you outside the building when school's done and we'll walk home together." Then, she walked out of the bathroom without waiting for a reaction from Cyd and Shelby. Then, they too went to the classroom.

At the end of the day, they wouldn't be able to say what happened during the remaining periods. All they remembered from it was that they had English with Frey – who pretended not to know them – and science with Liz and some guy who could be family of the Rob. That period of science was the last period of the day. At the end of it, Liz stepped up to them again.

"I've been thinking about why you look familiar," she said, "and I think I know why." Cyd and Shelby looked at each other. They shared the same thoughts. _Oh no! She knows!_ Then, they looked back at her and tried to act cool.

"We got those kind of faces, that must be it," Shelby repeated what they told her that morning. But Liz shook her head.

"Maybe, but that's not it. My grandfather has pictures of you!" Cyd and Shelby's eyes widened, stared at the brunette.

"Excuse me?" Cyd said, unable to say anything else. Shelby kept her mouth shut, only because she didn't want to say anything that could blow their cover. They both wondered why someone's grandfather would have pictures of them (or girls that look like them, that was also a possibility) in their house. Liz luckily explained the situation to them.

"Well, probably not you – I mean, these are really old pictures, so it can't be you two – but they look exactly like you. Weird, right?" Cyd and Shelby nodded almost immediately, agreeing with her, telling her it indeed was weird her grandfather had those pictures.

"Say, do you want to see them?" Cyd and Shelby shut their mouths as soon as Liz asked them that question. "Come on! It'll be fun. He doesn't bite. Our house isn't booby-trapped." Cyd and Shelby got a confused look on their face. They couldn't tell if she was being serious with the booby-trapped house thing or not.

"Okay." Cyd eventually said. The smile on Liz's face grew even bigger than it already was. She was about to jump and clap in her hands of excitement, but she didn't. Instead she tried to stay calm and told them they would just have to follow her. Before doing so, Shelby took Cyd by her arm and pulled her apart, so they could have a private conversation.

"How are we gonna tell Frey we'll be a little later?" Shelby wondered.

"If we see her, we tell her. I'm sure it'll be okay." Cyd said, convinced that Frey would let them go over to Liz's house. As soon as they left the building with Liz and the other students, they didn't see Frey and Fred anywhere. When they were at the first turn to the left, they knew they wouldn't be able to see Frey anymore. The route they were taking wasn't going to pass the ruins of the base. And Frey had her teleportation watch, so she wouldn't even have to walk at all. All they could do, was follow Liz to her house.

She lived in the same street where Cyd and Shelby live in the present, but they had to go ten or twenty more houses north of the ruins to reach Liz's. Her house was similar to theirs, but it still held some differences. Liz took the house key and opened the door. She let Shelby and Cyd in before walking through the door herself, closing it behind her.

Cyd and Shelby walked into the living room. It was a cozy place to stay. There was a dark green couch with comfortable pillows in matching colors, one small wooden table and something that could be compared with a flat screen TV from the present. There were two doors leading out of this room and a stairs leading to the first floor. The girls relaxed – for the first time that day, they felt at ease.

"Here it is!" Liz interrupted them. She called them from the other side of the room. they walked to Liz, who showed them the picture. It was a very old picture indeed. The colors were slowly fading away after too much exposure of the sun. The two girls on the picture were hugging each other and smiling at the camera. Even if it was hard to tell what was going on the day the picture was taken, Cyd and Shelby immediately recognized themselves. As far as they knew, it was the only picture in this house of the two time travelers.

"Felicity?" the three girls froze. Liz muttered something that sounded like "shouldn't be here" while Cyd and Shelby had no idea someone wasn't supposed to be home right now. Also, that voice sounded familiar and strange at the same time.

A door at their left opened. An old man entered the room. He took a few steps until he noticed the two strangers standing next to his granddaughter. Cyd and Shelby couldn't help but stare at him. He looked like one of these days, he had to get a walking stick to help him stay on his feet. Yet, for now, he didn't need it. He did need glasses, though, as he wore a pair at that moment. His hair had turned gray over the years and he had a wrinkled face. Cyd and Shelby almost hadn't recognized him. The only confirmation to their suspicions was the familiar, worn-out hat the old man was wearing.

"Hey grandpa," Liz said.

"Felicity," Naldo began, "why don't you introduce me to your new friends?"


	7. An old friend

**Hey there, guys! I'm back again with another chapter and some more Naldo! I'm sure y'all wanted to see him, so here he is!** **I have to say this chapter is mostly filler, but it's with Naldo, so it's going to be interesting nonetheless. Before that's going to happen, though, here are my replies to the reviews of last chapter:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Today, you'll see what his reaction is._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Well, Naldo's alive and well! Good guess - let's see if he will. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Yep, Liz is indeed Naldo's granddaughter. More backstory on Naldo and Barry comes today! I can already tell you he's definitely changed over the years._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 14, 2067_**

Cyd and Shelby thought their trip to the future wouldn't become any crazier. They've seen sentinels, heard about the strange laws and the way Portland coped with being isolated from the rest of the world, met the grandchildren of Barry (and possibly Bret or Chet's grandson). They had seen the ruins of the old house and have seen the way the school had changed over the years. They had experienced a time jump that wasn't theirs. They thought they'd finally seen everything there was to see in this weird world.

And then Naldo showed up in their lives again.

He watched the girls with curiosity, but primarily was just looking at his granddaughter. Cyd and Shelby held their breaths. It didn't look like Naldo realized who was standing in front of him.

Liz sighed. "Would you please just call me Liz?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"Depends. Would you please just call me Naldo?" Liz tried to be serious, but couldn't stop grinning after he made that comment. Naldo started to smile as well and crossed his arms.

"Touché." Liz said and then pointed at Cyd and Shelby, "These are Sara and Caitlin. They just moved here from East Portland." They waved shyly at Naldo, unsure on how to react to their older friend.

"Nice to meet you," Naldo said, and he pointed at Shelby with a confused look on her face. "Are you Sara?"

"No, I'm Caitlin. That's Sara." Shelby said, thoughts and memories rushing through her mind. What if Naldo thought she was Sara because her name started with an S? Naldo nodded and turned his head to his granddaughter.

"Felicity, can you please get us something to drink? I'm getting thirsty." Liz nodded.

"Okay. Sara, Caitlin, do you want anything?" she looked at them expectantly. Cyd and Shelby looked at each other and decided to take a glass of water each. Liz nodded and walked to the kitchen. Naldo turned his head to her.

"Take your time!" he told her. She didn't say anything back, but they assumed she would have to take her time to make Naldo a mug of coffee. When the door closed behind her, he turned to the two girls. He took off the hat and placed in on the table. He picked up the picture of Cyd and Shelby he'd been keeping before looking at the girls.

"You know…" he began, "I would hug you, but that would be weird." In that moment, Cyd and Shelby knew Liz' grandfather was their old friend. The three of them had to smile and Naldo put the picture back where it belonged.

"Come here!" Shelby said and Cyd and Shelby walked to him, grabbing him in a hug. At first, he seemed clueless about what to do, but eventually put his arms around his two friends. When they broke free from the hug, they couldn't be happier.

"Are you crying?" Cyd asked when she noticed Naldo wiped away some tears. He wasn't hiding it.

"I never thought I'd see you again," he said, "And now… We're finally back together. I never knew you'd visit this time before your time had come." He wiped away even more tears and sat down on the couch. Cyd and Shelby sat down next to each other. Cyd sat next to him, to make sure Liz wouldn't suspect anything of their time travel adventures.

"And we'll be staying for some time," Shelby said. "We can't jump back to the present." Naldo raised an eyebrow.

"Can't jump back?" he wondered. "You should be able to go back. What's keeping you here?"

"We don't know." Cyd said, "We don't even know why we can't go back." Naldo sighed and looked at them.

"You're always welcome to stay."

"Thanks," Shelby replied, "but we already have a place to stay. With Frey and Jay." Naldo nodded, and looked up when he heard those names.

"Good. I'm sure they can take care of you. At least, I hope so." Cyd and Shelby looked at each other when they heard him say it.

"Hope?" Cyd asked, wondering what that word meant in the context. Naldo sighed again.

"This is quite a long story." Naldo said and he leaned forward, coming closer to them. "During all those years Barry and I stayed friends. I remember he went on to go to Harvard when I had to start looking for a job. When he was done studying, I was already married. He founded his company and offered me a well-paid job as his assistant. I took it. Without him, I'm sure I wouldn't have made it into the company. We worked on a lot of inventions together, like trying to recreate time travel. We also made blueprints of a machine that would be able to trap time travelers in this time, but we never made it and Julius destroyed the blueprints.

I remember our last real conversation. It was the day before his death. For a scientist, he knew quite a lot about a Roman guy who died March 15. To think the day Barry died was also Julius's birthday. I never got a chance to say goodbye. I wasn't there when the accident. I was ill, caught the flu. The last thing I heard from him was him wishing me a good recovery." They noticed it was getting harder for him to talk about it.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. It's just…" He sighed, "if Barry would've lived, things would've gone so differently. He would've never allowed Julius to make those sentinels, and that changes a lot. I'd still work there, too. Julius kicked me out of the company after a couple of months, when he figured out I was 'useless' without Barry. He didn't want me to visit Jarvis anymore, so I hope they're taking good care of you."

"They are," Shelby said, "Well, Jay doesn't really care about us, but Frey and Liz are very kind to us." Cyd nodded in agreement with her best friend.

At that moment, Liz walked in with the beverages on a platter. One coffee for Naldo, two glasses of water for Cyd and Shelby and some tea for Liz. She placed it on the wooden table and took place on the couch next to Naldo.

"Thanks, Felicity." He said, reaching out for the coffee. Cyd and Shelby decided to take their glasses and together, they enjoyed the time spent together. They talked for a long time. They discussed the reasons for moving to this part of the town, with Naldo making some helpful suggestions. Naldo mixed up Sara and Caitlin quite often. They discussed why Liz calls herself Liz while Naldo calls her Felicity. Apparently Felicity is her real name, but she likes to shorten it to 'Liz'. And during that conversation, Cyd and Shelby learned more and more of this crazy world. After half an hour, they were reminded of what Naldo had said earlier: _if Barry lived, things would've gone differently_.

Then they knew what they had to do. They had to figure out a way to make their powers work again, if that was even possible. When they did, they would make a stop in the year when Barry dies in that lab-accident. They would save his life somehow and prevent this future from ever happening. The people they've met so far – Jay, Frey, Liz and Fred – they wouldn't remember them or this future, but at least Cyd and Shelby knew what they did for them. They would try to save the future.

Then, the doorbell rang. Naldo stood up and walked to the front door to open it. From the living room, they could hear the voices.

"Hello, Mr. Montoya," a familiar male voice said, "Are Sara and Caitlin here?"

"They are," Naldo replied, sounding a little surprised. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Naldo walked in first and behind him the familiar-looking redhead who was their guide yesterday in the base. Fred stood there with his arms crossed. "There you are!" he exclaimed. "Why'd you come here? No offense, Liz, but girls, I invited you to my house, remember? A welcoming party for you, where people are waiting?" Cyd and Shelby looked at each other, not really getting what Fred wanted to tell them.

"Oh, right!" Cyd then said. "We totally forgot!" They told Frey they would go to the base immediately after school – instead, they stayed with Liz for more than half an hour. Cyd and Shelby stood up and looked at Liz. She shook her head, smiling."

"I understand," she said, "Now, go on! You don't want to be late for your own party." They were about to leave when Naldo said something.

"You're always welcome here." He smiled at them and Cyd and Shelby nodded.

"We know." Shelby said, and then they left the house. Fred guided them to the base and he told them Frey would be waiting for them. During the short walk of ten minutes, they talked about the dangers of staying with someone you barely know for too long.

"Why is it such a bad thing?" Cyd wondered.

"There are eyes everywhere," Fred said, "Which is why we use that particular base. In general, less sentinels go there."

"But didn't the council make sure they couldn't place cameras in the streets?" Shelby asked.

"They did," Fred said, shaking his head. "But then again, since when do the sentinels really listen to us? The sentinels record everything they see when they pass the streets and some of the cameras were just hidden. There could be one hidden in every tree we pass. Trust me, the sentinels already figured out who you were and where we're going." He continued by whispering. "So let's take the wrong way." And so the short walk of ten minutes turned into a long walk of forty-five minutes before they finally arrived at the base.


	8. Another base

**Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter of this story! After that calm filler chapter of last time, let's go to some action for this chapter, okay? Okay, action... let's say something exciting happens in this chapter and the next one. From this moment on, there will be action! But first, the responses to your reviews:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl_ _:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Maybe they will, maybe they won't, maybe they get stuck in the future or maybe they find a way to restore their powers and jump back to the present and won't do anything else._

 _PurpleNicole531: __Yeah! There is only one minor setback they'll have to overcome: how to get their powers back. And let's not forget the sentinels may be looking for them. If it was easy, they would've solved the problem by now._ _Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! You should be: they're dangerous opponents. Naldo applied for another job somewhere else. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. We'll see how he'll react later (if we ever see him react to that news)._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 14, 2067_**

Frey was waiting for them in the main room of the base. She had her arms crossed and was looking at them with an annoyed look. Cyd and Shelby gave her apologetic looks, but they knew it may not be enough. Besides, they weren't to blame for what they did. This was only their second evening in Future Portland. How were they supposed to know what they could and couldn't do? The basics apparently weren't enough to survive the future.

"Here they are," Fred said once he closed the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" Frey asked the trio, "Did you see any sentinels?" Cyd, Shelby and Fred shook their heads. No, they hadn't seen any sentinels. Then again, after what Fred had told them, they didn't know if anyone had seen them or not.

"Is it true they can just install cameras and spy on the people?" Cyd then asked. Frey nodded with a sad ook in her eyes.

"Sadly enough, yes. They may delete what they record, but they never forget what they've seen. They have files of everyone, I'm sure of it. They keep track of when I appear at school, when I go home, when I'm going home with someone else, whom I am talking to, etcetera. If there's even the slightest change in that pattern, they'll know it. If that change keeps on happening, they'll consider it as normal after a while. But you show up here, don't have any files anywhere and then you visit someone you don't know at all – Liz's files _will_ tell them she didn't know you before today – and that will make the sentinels suspicious. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd come knocking on the door here."

"I'm sorry, Frey," Shelby apologized. "We didn't know. If we had…"

"It's okay," Frey then said, "You couldn't have known. I made the mistake of not telling you about this earlier. Now we have to be prepared to leave when the sentinels do come knocking on the door." Frey said and she walked to the second hallway on her right. She stopped in the opening of the corridor, looking in to see if Jay was there. When she notixed he wasn't, Frey opened her mouth.

"Jay! Come over here, it's important!" There was no reaction to her shouting. Frey sighed annoyed and tried again. "Jay! It's about the sentinels!" Again Jay didn't respond to it. Cyd and Shelby wondered why Jay wouldn't come over to this place. They could see Frey became even more frustrated.

"I don't think he's coming," Cyd said. Fred then walked to the opening and put a hand on Frey's shoulder.

"You know it's not his fault, Frey. It's just who he is," he said. Frey nodded.

"I know. It's just… those stupid habits…" Fred interrupted her.

"…are the only things that make him still function here. So let him have some structure in his life. Luckily, I know how to make him come." He scratched his throat, then shouted, "Jay, come over here! I need your help." He took a step back and they waited for Jay to arrive. Not much after Fred called out for him, they heard how someone slammed the door and no second later, Jay came walking out of the hallway. He was looking for Fred and when he saw his friend, he relaxed. Cyd and Shelby only noticed because these days, they haven't seen a relaxed Jay once.

"Listen up," Fred began, "This is very important. It's about the sentinels." Jay nodded, listened to his friend and focused only on his words and actions.

"I am listening," he said to tell Fred he had his undivided attention from that point on. Fred started to explain the situation to his friend. Cyd and Shelby listened until they realized Fred was telling Jay the reason to why he had to get ready for a possible sentinel attack. Frey took one arm of each time traveler and pulled them with her in the right direction. Cyd and Shelby followed Frey out of free will. They entered the kitchen.

"If sentinels can attack this place, then why are we in the kitchen?" Shelby wondered, "Shouldn't we get out of here?" Frey opened the fridge and took everything out of it without answering her question. The two time-travelers watched as Frey removed the back wall of the fridge to reveal a hidden spot filled with five futuristic watches. She took two and handed them to Cyd and Shelby.

"That's why we're in the kitchen," Frey said, "Nobody would think we're hiding the watches in the kitchen, let alone the fridge. I reprogrammed it so I only works when it touches the human skin. The sentinels won't be able to find us where we're going, even if they wanted to." Cyd and Shelby put the watches around their wrist and it came to life. The screen lit up white and the coordinates of their next location were visible on the screen.

"To jump to the location, you press the red button on the left side of the watch," Frey explained, "Press it just once! It may not work immediately, but it'll take you to the location soon after you've pressed it. if you press it too many times, it'll bring you back to the last locations, which are compromised bases. There might be some sentinels there, so you'd probably want to press that button just once." Cyd and Shelby were able to find the red button on the left. The next minute was spent in silence, while Frey occasionally looked at the door expectantly.

"What are we waiting for?" Cyd wondered out loud.

"Fred and Jay," Frey replied, "they should be coming here and get one of those watches. But knowing them, they'd come and get one only when the sentinels are about to kill them and when they're losing the fight."

"But Jay already has one watch," Shelby said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he makes time to place the coordinates of our next base in his own watch," Frey said, "Besides, he'd rather stay and damage those sentinels. That's why he's been training, anyway. He will literally not know what to do with his life once he's taken down the leader of the sentinels." It looked like she wanted to say something else, but she didn't get a chance. There was this noise Cyd and Shelby only knew from the movies, where metal gets ripped apart. Frey's face turned pale once she heard the noise.

"There's no time. Let's go." She pressed the red button on the left of her own watch. As expected, it didn't immediately take her to the next hide-out.

"What about Fred and Jay?" Cyd wondered.

"They'll follow. Now—" One moment Frey stood there, and the next she was transported to the next base with a flash of bright blue. Cyd and Shelby didn't hesitate and each pressed their own red button while the noise from the main room continued. They could only imagine what was going on there. Fred and Jay were there, fighting the sentinels that had come here. How many could it be? Two? Three? Five? Ten? There was no way of knowing how many sentinels showed up.

The bright blue light that had engulfed Frey and brought her to the next base now completely covered Cyd and Shelby. The next second, they were standing next to Frey in the kitchen. They looked around, confused. The background, the kitchen was the same (except the fridge, which was closed) but there was no more noise from the main room.

"The bases all look the same," Frey said, "That's much easier for Jay… and for me, too, but there is one big difference."

"There are no sentinels here?" Cyd tried to guess what the big difference was. Frey nodded.

"True. But that's not what I meant," she said, "We only had one time-travel device. So whatever happens from now is something we can't fix."

"Unless we get our powers back," Shelby then said, "When we get them back, we'll fix everything here. We promise." Cyd nodded to show she agreed with what her friend said. Frey could only smile after hearing that.

"Thanks," she said with a smile on her face, "You barely know us and yet, you're willing to help. There should be more people like you out there."

The next few minutes passed by so slowly, it felt like they've been waiting for hours for the boys to arrive. Frey was especially worried about her brother, while Cyd and Shelby just wished the sentinels wouldn't kill the two boys. They were reminded of what they had done to Jay before the time jump, when they first met him. The sentinels almost killed him before, so they could do it again.

Eventually Jay appeared, exhausted from the fight, out of breath. As soon as she saw her brother, Frey ran to him and pulled him into a hug. He didn't hug her back, but he let her hold him. A few seconds later, he'd gently push her away.

"I'm so glad you're alive," Frey said, "where's Fred?"

"He is right behind me," Jay said, "He is coming. There must be a delay in his watch." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself Fred was coming. Because he didn't follow Jay immediately, Fred had everyone worry about him.

Because of Fred, the four teenagers feared the worst.


	9. Too much

**Hey everyone! I'm back with the latest chapter of this story. Is Fred okay? Will Cyd and Shelby ever be able to save the future? Are Cyd and Shelby even able to figure out a way to get their powers back? Well, one of those questions is going to be answered, the others in the second half of the story. And now, here are my replies to the reviews:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl_ _:_ _Thanks for reviewing! We'll see today if he's fine._

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _We'll see today if he's okay. And of course those watches are cool - Barry and Davenport Industries invented them together! Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! If the sentinels hadn't found them that day, they would've found them some other time. Yes, he does need a lot of order in his life - he's glad to have a sister that looks after him._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 14, 2067_**

Jay had been right after all: Fred was indeed right behind him. Half a minute after Jay appeared, Fred appeared in the exact same spot. Jay turned around to see Fred was standing there, also exhausted from the fight with the sentinels, holding his right hand pressed against his left side. He panted, yet managed to show the four a faint smile.

"Fred…" Jay walked to his friend. He extended his hand, then hesitated, looking at Fred. Fred nodded and then Jay put his hand on Fred's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Could've been better," Fred admitted. "Trust me, it was _not_ great. Well, at least there one sentinels less to worry about." Cyd and Shelby wondered how he was able to put on the watch and get here while fighting the sentinels. Or how he still was able to smile after the attacks. Jay nodded, then looked at Fred's left side.

"You are hurt." Jay managed to say it as if he couldn't care less, even if that wasn't the case. He pulled back his hand and took one step back. Fred shrugged, refusing to look at it for now.

"Don't worry," he said, "It's just a scratch." Jay shook his head.

"I would not call that 'just a scratch'," he said. He couldn't take his eyes off of the wound. Fred looked around and noticed they were all staring with great surprise at the 'scratch'. _Is it that bad?_ He turned his head to the wound. He pulled the hand that pressed on the wound away from it, to see there was blood all over it. His expression changed quickly, showing some fear and surprise as he watched it drip on the ground.

"That's not what I expected…" Fred muttered, having thought it really was just a scratch that just happened to hurt a lot. Now he thought of it, it became harder to keep standing on his shaky legs. He turned back to his friends and put the hand back against the wound. Press it, make sure nothing else gets out.

"I need to sit," he eventually said. They didn't hesitate – Jay immediately extended his arms to help him but hesitated – only when Fred nodded, Jay finally touched his friend and supported him so Fred wouldn't fall to the ground. Frey grabbed a chair and brought it closer to the two men. Cyd and Shelby couldn't help but watch the scene unfold in front of their eyes. Besides, they were unfamiliar with the time and these people in general. It may be better to keep distance for now.

Jay helped Fred sit on the chair, but soon he started to shake his head with an expression of pain visible on his face. "Never mind!" he said, almost yelled the words, "On the ground, on the ground!" Jay helped him get up and lay on the ground, as he wanted. As soon as he lay on the ground, his painful expression faded slightly. Frey got up and without saying a word, she pressed some buttons on the watch. Jay was worried, and for the first time since Cyd and Shelby arrived, they saw some emotion on Jay's face.

"Fred?" He asked, "What are you doing?" Without asking for permission, he took Fred's right hand (which still was pressed against the wound) and helped pressing it, hopefully to reduce the amount of blood flowing out of it.

"I think I'm bleeding out," Fred said, "I don't recommend it." Was this really the right time to crack some jokes? Maybe, maybe not. For all they knew, this was how Fred coped with pain.

"Do not leave me here," Jay then said. Frey turned her head to keep an eye on her older brother. Jay shook his head and was visibly shaking. "You cannot…"

"Jay!" Frey didn't focus on her watch anymore, but on her brother. She sat on her knees and stared at her brother. "Calm down, okay? Deep breaths, in and out. I'll bring him to the hospital, they'll make him better. He won't leave you." Jay nodded, avoiding looking at his sister, fear still present on his face.

"How long is this going to take?" he asked with a shaky voice. Frey continued finding the hospital coordinates and once she did, she took Fred's watch to set up the right coordinates.

"I don't know," she answered as she entered the coordinates, "I'll tell you when I have more news." While she entered the coordinates of the hospital in Fred's watch, it seemed that Fred made one last effort to communicate with his best friend, saying his name. Fred extended his left hand to Jay, and Jay reached out for it. He grabbed it once he saw Fred nodded.

"Do not die, you understand?" Jay said, "We cannot… I cannot…" Fred squeezed in Jay's hand to make him shut up and to make sure his will listen when he talked.

"Relax, Jay," he said. After these few minutes, even not more than a minute, he had considerably grown weaker. Where did he find the strength to put a faint smile on his face or to just talk in the first place? "I'll be fine. I promise." He stared ne last time in Jay's eyes before he had to close them. The faint smile on his face disappeared and the muscles in his hand grew weaker.

Jay panicked. He held his friend's hand, didn't dare to shake him or even touch him without his permission. He shouted his name several times, sounding more desperate with every time he said the name.

"He's still alive, Jay," Frey said, putting her hand on his shoulder. He knocked her hand off of there as soon as he felt it. "I'm taking him to the hospital now." She put Fred's watch back around his wrist and pressed the red button. Then she pressed her own before looking up to her brother. "Please stay calm. He'll live."

Then Fred and Frey disappeared and probably appeared at the hospital. Jay was now holding nothing but air where Fred's hand was just a few seconds ago. He remained in that position for a minute before he eventually got up and stared at the blood on the ground, hands in his pockets. Cyd and Shelby thought it was wise to stay away from him for now. They had no idea how he coped with this and for all they knew, they could make him worry more.

Even from that distance, they could hear him mutter things, thoughts he wished to say out loud. It kind of scared Cyd and Shelby. "Fred… do not leave me, please… off course he will make it. Fred is a strong young man. What if he does not? He will make it. Yes, but what if he does not? I do not want to know what life is without him. He will not die. He can always die. I swear, if he is gone, I will initiate a time jump. No, I cannot just cause a Portland-wide black-out to save my friend. I do not care about the black-out, I will have my friend back. Or maybe the same results will come out. This is…" He suddenly stopped talking. He either completely stopped talking or continued his conversation in his head. He took a few steps backward, then turned around and continued walking away from the blood stain, holding his head with one of his hands as if he was suffering from a big head-ache.

"Jay?" Cyd began, slowly, "are you okay?" Jay shook his head.

"No, I am not," he said, almost shouted these words. He still sounded desperate, "I am… angry, and sad, and… and…" he again couldn't continue talking. He seemed frustrated and roared, grabbing his head with his two hands and sitting on his knees. He pinched his eyes closed and his hands were closely placed to his ears, as if he was ready to block out any sound. He started to shake from head to toe again. Cyd and Shelby slowly backed away, not knowing what was going on with him.

They were happy when Frey reappeared. She looked around but soon found Jay in this position. She sighed in desperation and ran to her brother. She sat on her knees facing him and she grabbed his wrists, so he had to look at her, so he couldn't get away. He tried to free himself from Frey's grasp, but it wasn't working. She stared at his face, didn't look away. "Jay, look at me!" Frey said sternly. "Look at me, please." Jay turned his head to Frey and their eyes met briefly when he turned away to the other side.

"Don't turn your head," she told him and he shifted his head again so it looked like he was watching his sister. That didn't mean he was looking at her – the tiles behind her seemed more interesting at that moment. "Focus on me, okay?" Frey continued, "You have to calm down. Deep breaths, remember? In and out." He wasn't in the mood for the exercise. Instead he tried to break free from her grasp once again and stared at her.

"What am I feeling?" he said – no, begged with clenched teeth. He could no longer stop the tears from coming. "Please, what am I…"

"Jay, calm down," Frey said, interrupted him, trying to stay calm herself. "I'll tell you once you've calmed down. Deep breaths. In and out. In and out." Jay finally obeyed and relaxed a little. He and Frey did the exercise together. With each breath he took, he grew calmer. He couldn't help it to ask another time.

"What…"

"Yes, Jay, yes," Frey said, knowing exactly what he was going to ask her. "I'll tell you, just stay calm." Then, she just stared at his face while his emotions were still visible. He sniffed once, glancing away from her. his eyes fell on Cyd and Shelby for a second, but then found something else.

"You're sad," Frey then said, "for what happened to Fred. You're angry because the sentinels did that to him. I'm guessing you'd want to rip them apart right now. you're also desperate. You want to know how he's doing. You're afraid because he might die."

Cyd and Shelby looked at each other after that analysis. How was she able to see that on Jay's face? Maybe she succeeded so well because she linked what happened and how he reacted to his emotions. They'd have to ask her about it once she was done comforting Jay.

"Sad, angry, desperate, afraid…" he repeated, "It does not feel good."

"It shouldn't," Frey responded. She loosened her grasp on Jay's wrists, but he didn't immediately try to free himself this time. Instead, he looked at Frey.

"Fred…" he just had to say that one word to get an answer.

"The doctors are doing everything they can. They told me he should be fine and has to stay in the hospital for a couple of weeks. He will make it." Frey slowly stood up, pulling Jay with her. Soon they both stood straight, Jay looking away from her. Frey let go of Jay's wrists. He kept standing in that same position. "Why don't you go training, okay?" Frey suggested, "It's not seven o'clock yet. There's another bar in your room."

Jay nodded. "Training…" he said, "Yeah, good idea…" He turned around and walked out of the room, focused just on training and being occupied with something else. He left without saying a word, eyes fixated on a point straight ahead, looking at where he would be going next. Once he was out of sight (and once they were sure he couldn't hear them anymore) Cyd and Shelby went to talk to Frey about what happened.

"What just happened?" Cyd said, "You never mentioned Jay is crazy." Shelby elbowed her best friend and shot her a look which could say a lot, specifically 'you don't say things like that'. Frey didn't give them any glare.

"He's not crazy," she just said, "He's… different. I don't really know what exactly is going on with him, but…"

"You don't know?" Shelby then asked, "But you're his sister? Shouldn't you know?" Frey shrugged and sighed.

"It's a long story," she said as a way to start telling that long story, "Dad knew something was…" she searched the right word, "wrong with Jay. He never wanted to tell me – he only told Jay what was going on. I asked them many times, but they never answered. Dad wouldn't tell me because he was afraid I'd treat him differently and Jay wouldn't tell me because dad didn't want me to know. So, I have no idea what's going on. They should've. How am I going to understand what is going on if they won't tell me?" That last question was directed at herself.

"That's terrible," Shelby said. She wouldn't know what to do if Bret or Chet (or both) was like Jay and didn't know how to help her brothers. Frey shrugged again.

"You get used to it. All I know is that he's different. I did some research, but never guessed which of the diseases I looked up was his. I didn't want to take the risk of declaring whatever I thought he had if it wasn't what he's actually dealing with. I don't want to confuse him even more."

"How is it like?" Cyd wanted to know. Frey hesitated, wondered whether she should tell them or not. Eventually, she decided Cyd and Shelby had to know about Jay's 'weaknesses'.

"You've noticed he's different," she started, "Through his ways of life, I think I discovered some mannerisms of people who have the same problem. One of those mannerisms is structure, habits and unchangeable schedules. When something changes in his daily schedule, he freaks out."

"But that's not the reason why he freaked out a few minutes ago, right?" Cyd wondered out loud. Frey shook her head.

"Sentinels attacked the base," she said, "He knows how to hide his frustration for a while, but you saw what happened once things have calmed down. I'm very certain his messed-up schedule is part of the reason why he freaked out."

"But he was saying something about emotions right before he… you know…" Shelby said, not sure how to finish her sentence. Shelby looked at Cyd, who shrugged and shook her head, telling her she had no idea how to finish it, too. Luckily, Frey understood what they were trying to say.

"That's another thing," she said, "He's not very good at identifying emotions, especially when it comes to his own – most of the time, I have to tell him what he feels. He only knows how anger, sadness and joy look like. He's heard about the others, but he's having a hard time identifying them. He tries to recognize them, but he somehow can't. And when he doesn't know what he's feeling, he's frustrated and then… well, you've already seen what happens next." She did not continue, choose to let all this info sink in. Cyd and Shelby looked at each other, not knowing how to continue the conversation, until Cyd spoke up.

"Is talking to yourself one of those things he does and we don't?" Frey shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure more people talk to themselves out loud every once in a while," she said and Cyd got a disappointed look in her eyes, "It's one of his habits, though. I guess it makes up for his antisocial behavior. I'm sure you've noticed it by now. He doesn't feel very comfortable talking to… well, pretty much everyone he doesn't know well. He also doesn't like being touched or touching someone else."

"But he helped Fred and that was no problem for him," Shelby said. Both she and Cyd were confused. Frey nodded.

"Even Jay wants to show support sometimes. Before doing it, he usually waits for a sign of approval. For example: Fred nods to him as a sign of permission. As for me… well, he never had to ask me for permission, but doesn't like any physical contact between the two of us, which I respect." She crossed her arms and sighed. It seemed she didn't want to continue this kind of conversation.

"Well, that's more than enough information about Jay," she then said, "Is it okay if we talk about something else?" Cyd and Shelby didn't have to communicate non-verbally to agree with her. They talked about anything that wouldn't remind her of Jay. She occasionally jumped back to the hospital to check if Fred's situation had improved or worsened. Cyd and Shelby, feeling guilty because them going to school today was the ultimate reason for Fred's wounds, decided not to go to school anymore because they'd risk getting caught a second time. Frey promised them she'd tell Liz tomorrow they were ill and wouldn't be coming to school the next days (Liz didn't have a watch, so Frey couldn't contact her). Cyd and Shelby hoped their presence in the future wouldn't harm anyone else and decided to spend the time they had here to devise plans to save their future as soon as possible. Frey would help them when she wasn't busy going to school, making homework or doing chores around the base.

They didn't see Jay for the rest of the day.


	10. Eisenberg Technologies

**Here's the newest chapter of this story! It's time for a climax in 2067. After all, the key to being able to time travel again is going to be revealed today (and that's not the only thing that's going to be revealed). I should shut up now before I tell you what's going to happen today... Anyway, here are my responses to your reviews and then the chapter:**

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl_ _:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Maybe he will be okay, maybe he won't. We'll see._

 _PurpleNicole531: __She's the most responsible person right now. We'll see if they get their powers back - I think it's time for a 2067 climax. Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! It apparently is that serious. Well, the sentinels grazed his side, not his hand. They were there to kill everyone. Yes, it is hard to live with, especially in such a severe case. You could say Fred's in a better shape than Bret and Chet._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 18, 2067_**

A few days have passed since the sentinels attacked the base. Cyd and Shelby had stayed in the new base instead of going to school. Jay continued doing his daily routine and Frey continued to go to school. She would have told Liz Cyd and Shelby were ill and had to stay home for a while if she had been present at school. Frey hadn't seen Liz since that day at school – she had no idea where she could be, though she believed the sentinels had something to do with it. Fred was recovering in the hospital, but his condition still is critical. After all, it had only been three days since the sentinel scratched his side. Frey visited him frequently, but the doctors told her she'd be one of the first to know when he wakes up, along with Fred's parents.

While life continued for Frey and Jay, Cyd and Shelby had taken the opportunity to think about what could have taken away their powers. They considered everything, looked up everything all technological companies had made (especially Eisenberg Technologies). They even tried to ask Jay about what they had invented, but he didn't want to break routine to talk to them. Only during one of his 'free' moments, they were able to talk to him. For a boy who doesn't go to school anymore, he was like a walking history book when it came to the history of Eisenberg Technologies. Only when he mentioned an idea and some blueprints which his father should have destroyed, Cyd and Shelby thought they had a chance of figuring out what really happened.

When Frey came back from school, they immediately went to tell her their theory.

"Frey!" Cyd drew her attention, "We think we know what's blocking our powers." Frey turned her head to them.

"Really?" she asked them.

"Yes," Shelby said, "We got the idea when we talked to Jay."

"He told us that Barry and Naldo were working on the blueprints for a device that could potentially block a time traveler's powers," Cyd continued.

"Jay told us that they eventually rejected the idea and that Julius had to destroy them."

"But Jay also said he believed his father did not destroy those blueprints."

"We were thinking that Julius or the sentinels built that device!" Cyd and Shelby were proud of themselves because they figured it out together. The silence that followed while they were waiting for Frey's response could be considered disappointing.

"Well, if Jay thinks a device like that was built, then it was built," Frey eventually said. "Let's go." She walked past them into the corridor that would lead to the bedrooms. Cyd and Shelby looked at each other, shrugged and then followed her into her own room. They saw she had just put down her backpack and was programming something on her watch. Normally, she'd start making her homework when she came home to have a free evening.

"What are you doing?" Cyd asked her.

"Changing the current coordinates to the ones of Eisenberg Technologies," Frey said, looking up to the time travelers, "This is a chance for you to go home. I'm sure you can't wait to go back. I know I would if I got stuck in a different time." Cyd and Shelby looked at each other again.

"So we're going immediately?" Shelby wondered.

"Yep," Frey responded, "We'll be going to the main entrance of Eisenberg Technologies. Too bad these watches can't transport anyone inside a building." Once she was finished programming the buildings' coordinates, she asked for the watches Cyd and Shelby still were wearing. They handed them over and then Frey put the coordinates of the building in it, giving it back when she was finished. Together they walked to Jay's room.

They stopped in front of his closed door. Frey knocked once. "Jay, it's time," she then said, "We're going to Eisenberg Technologies to bring Cyd and Shelby back home." Not much later, the door opened and Jay came out of it, holding the bar in his hand, nodding at Frey.

"About time we go there. I suggest that, once we are there, you follow me."

"Follow you?" Frey wondered out loud. She had no idea what Jay meant. He looked at her.

"I have studied the map of that building. I sometimes went there to explore, though I never really got far. There was never enough time to see the entire building." He looked at her and couldn't recognize the surprise in her eyes, but decided not to ask what that facial expression means, as usual. Cyd and Shelby were displaying the same emotion, looking at each other instead of one of the Eisenberg siblings.

"Since when have you been doing that?" Frey eventually said. Jay shrugged.

"Since this started," he responded, "I figured that if I wanted to take down the sentinels, I needed to know everything about them and the places where they are manufactured. Eisenberg Technologies never stopped being a potential main headquarters because that was where they were first made. I would not be surprised if their mainframe was located there." Their mouths fell open. So that was the reason why he knew so much about Eisenberg Technologies. Cyd and Shelby were surprised he was capable of doing that, especially after everything they've seen him do since they arrived. Frey recovered quickly and continued to look at him.

"You'd better set the coordinates to…" she began, but Jay interrupted her.

"I already did that when they arrived. I had a feeling we would have to go to Eisenberg Technologies eventually." He showed them one of his rare smiles when Frey stared at him with disbelief, "Let me guess – you did not think I had it in me, am I right?" Frey sighed and smiled at him too.

"You're full of surprises, Jay," she said, and started to look around. "Before we go, is there anything else that needs to be said?" Nobody said anything; Cyd and Shelby shook their heads and Jay just stared at Frey. She then shrugged.

"Okay then. Please follow Jay and stay with him for as long as possible. Let's go!" They all pushed the red button on the watch, waiting for it to take them to Eisenberg Technologies. Jay tightened his grasp on the bar right before he disappeared. No second later, Frey, Cyd and Shelby disappeared, too. They all reappeared in front of Eisenberg Technologies.

They all took a second to look at the building. The building was about four floors tall and a hundred yards wide. The Eisenberg Technologies logo hung above the main entrance and showed them in what state they could expect the inside to look like: old and rotten. A single car stood in one of the many parking lots, probably forgotten by the previous owner. The door in front of them was open.

"Is safe to come here?" Shelby wondered.

"Maybe," Jay responded, "I suggest you stay close to me. I know my way." Jay walked to the door. Without hesitation, the girls followed him, afraid to walk these grounds all alone. He guided them through the building. What they saw wasn't what they expected. They had expected it to look as if someone's been here and destroyed everything except the structures that make sure the building still stands. It just looked as if nobody had come here in a very long time. Everything was either covered with white blankets or a layer of dust. They were surprised the lights still worked. They turned left once they entered it and at the end of the hallway, Jay found the room he was looking for.

This must've been one of the security rooms in the building, or maybe the only one. There were four big screens in the room along with a whole lot of machinery of which Cyd and Shelby didn't know what it could be used for. The screens were out, obviously, but Jay was looking for a way to make them work again.

"Jay, what are we doing here?" Frey asked out loud, "We're supposed to look for the device that…"

"These cameras record everything in this building," Jay interrupted her, "This is the fastest way to finding where it is. I tried this before and it worked. There is sound with the images. We will find it." Not much later after he said that, the screens got back to working. Each of the screens was split into four parts, showing them a total of sixteen places. The locations changed every ten seconds, flashing to the screen on the right until it eventually disappeared from their sight, making place for recordings of other rooms. The number of the room was written down in the right corner. The tech was a bit obsolete, but it worked just fine.

The screens had to change four times before they could see a room that wasn't as dusty or dirty as the other ones. It looked like the dust was wiped off of it just a week ago. Several lights on the large were flickering. It must be very easy to shut that one down, because there was a lever attached to it, currently pointing at "ON". There was an "OFF" if you turned the lever 180 degrees.

"There!" Cyd yelled, pointing at the image. "Room 4-26B!" Everyone turned their heads and after a short analysis, they agreed they were going to shut it off. They were about to walk out when the images changed again.

If Shelby hadn't caught a glimpse of the screen closest to the door, they would've left the future a lot sooner. She stopped and walked closer to get a better look. Cyd, Frey and Jay came back for her. "Shelbs, what are you doing?" Cyd asked. She wanted to continue, but forgot her question as soon as she saw what Shelby was staring at. "Are those Liz and Naldo?" And indeed, they saw Naldo and his granddaughter sitting on chairs, locked up in what once served as a conference room for this company's scientists. They could still move freely, but they sure couldn't leave the room.

"Yes, that's them," Frey said, "This is what I was afraid of. The sentinels use this building as a temporary prison."

"We can't leave without saving them," Shelby said and Cyd nodded.

"Agreed. Let's go save Liz and Naldo!" Luckily, Jay and Frey approved of that action. They looked at the screen and memorized the room where they were supposed to be – they were on this floor, just a few rooms back from where they came from. They went to the room and Jay used his bar to break down the door.

Liz and Naldo couldn't have been more surprised to see anyone in their entire lives. "Liz, are you okay?" Frey immediately asked, running to her. Liz nodded.

"I will be," she said. Her voice was a bit shaky, "I don't get it. How… how did you find us? Why did you do it? Not that I don't appreciate what you did, but you're not supposed to be here. Is that Jay?" she added when she recognized the boy, "You told us he died. We went to the funeral!"

"It is a long story," Jay said, "In short: I faked it. It was easier for me to stay off the radar." He pointed at Cyd and Shelby, "These girls next to me are time travelers who got stuck here. We came to bring them back home." Cyd and Shelby glared at him, which he didn't notice. They lived with the secret for so long and trusted them with it. It wasn't nice of him to just say it without asking them if it's okay he told them.

Liz' mouth fell open and she looked at Frey, who nodded. She then turned her head to her grandfather, who was now close to Cyd and Shelby. "Felicity…" he began, "These are the girls from the picture. These are Cyd and Shelby, my friends when I was young." Liz had a confused look on her face, not knowing who to look at.

"I'm not even going to ask how that's possible," Liz eventually said, focusing on Frey again, "Thanks for saving us. For a moment, I thought we'd be stuck in here with him forever!"

"Him?" Frey asked, "who is 'him'? Is it a sentinel?" Liz shook her head.

"It's not a sentinel. It was a man. I thought grandpa recognized him…" she trailed off, looking at her grandfather. Soon, Cyd, Shelby and the Eisenberg siblings were staring at Naldo. He sighed, looking mainly at the Eisenberg siblings.

"For as long as I can remember, I wished I'd see a familiar face again. I wished I wasn't the last man standing, longing to meet someone from my past again. I did. Cyd and Shelby, off course, but also your father, Julius Eisenberg." Jay and Frey looked at each other, then back at Naldo.

"That is impossible," Jay muttered, "Our father died many years ago." he looked at Naldo, who nodded.

"I thought it was impossible, too. But we recognized each other. Only Barry and your father ever called me Renaldo." While he was talking, Jay shook his head, looking away from everyone, turning his back to them.

"Our father is dead. He is not alive. He… he cannot be…" Frey knew what was going to happen and she walked to him. She positioned herself in front of him so Jay could see her clearly. This time, she only put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jay, calm down. We couldn't have prepared for this, okay? I am shocked like you, and angry, too, but he must have had his reasons, okay? There's nothing wrong with that." Jay eventually nodded and he grew calmer again. He gently pushed Frey's hand off of his shoulder when he was calm again.

"He mentioned having to stay in the CEO's office," Naldo continued, having waited patiently for Jay to calm down, "I don't believe the sentinels are keeping him as a prisoner. Something's off about the situation." Cyd and Shelby believed the situation. Their so-called dead father survived whatever the sentinels were doing and has been here for a while. That sounded a bit suspicious to them.

"I have to see it," Jay then said, "It cannot be my father…"

"Jay, I know you want proof, but what about the device?" Frey then asked her brother. All he could do was shrug. He had no idea what to do now: follow the original plan or go to the CEO's office to proof their father was really dead.

"What device?" Liz then asked her. Frey turned her head to them and Liz expected an answer from her, but she got one from Shelby.

"The device that's keeping us stuck in this time. It's in room 4-26B. We wanted to do this as fast as possible so we can go back home before the sentinels figure out we're here, but I guess Jay wants to meet his father." She pointed at Jay when she said the last phrase. He turned to her when she was finished talking.

"I cannot meet him, he died." He said it as if everyone knew that and accepted it as the truth.

"Yes, Jay," Fey tried again, "but it could be possible that…"

"He could not have survived; we will see that for ourselves." He didn't even look at her when he said that. Frey sighed. It was always like that when they were having an argument. He was right and everyone else was wrong, even if what they were saying was the truth, unless he was proven wrong.

"I'll do it." Everyone turned their heads to Liz, who had spoken up. "I'll turn off that machine." They stared at her with widened eyes – all except Naldo.

"Felicity…" he began, but Liz didn't let him continue.

"You can go with Frey and Jay to their dad. I'll turn of the machine," she then turned from Cyd and Shelby to her grandfather, "They saved us, grandpa. It's the least I can do for them." Naldo eventually sighed and gave her a smile.

"Felicity… Liz…" He sighed again, trying to find the right words, "Be careful, okay. I remember that room is on the fourth floor. I'll wait down here – I won't be able to climb so much stairs." Liz nodded and she gave Naldo a big hug. She looked up when they were done.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," she said with a small smile. "Frey, I still have your number from that one time. I'll call you when it's turned off." Then she left the room, on her way to find room 4-26B. It could take longer than expected, but at least she would try to find it as soon as possible. Naldo watched her leave and once she was out of sight, he turned to the remaining teenagers.

"The CEO's room is at the other side of the building, at the end of that hallway." He waited a moment, "Good luck." He added.

"Thanks." Cyd said "See you in 2016." Naldo nodded and they left together. They continued to walk to the other side of the building, in search of the CEO's office. It wasn't too hard to find – they were lucky the tag on the door hadn't fallen off already. Jay was the one to open the unlocked door. They all entered it and then noticed the man inside the office.

He was looking out the window when the teenagers came in. He turned around to see who had entered the office. His lab coat was worn-out and it looked like it could never really turn white again. He had short light brown hair and brown eyes like Frey's. He wore glasses, which he pushed up his nose again. He couldn't take his eyes off of the siblings.

Cyd and Shelby looked from the man to Frey and Jay, to see how they reacted. Jay didn't move, stared at the man. He tightened the grasp on his bar. He was shocked and surprised, they guessed, but they couldn't be sure because it was Jay. Frey, on the other hand, held her hands in front of her mouth and nose, her eyes getting watery. Like Jay, she couldn't believe this was really happening either.

"Frey? Jay? Is that you?" the man said, unsure what to think about the situation. That was all the proof they needed. Frey couldn't stop herself anymore and she ran straight to him, grabbing him in a hug, crying on his shoulder. Julius was at first unsure what was going on, but then comforted his daughter, barely able to hold back tears himself.

The family was reunited.


	11. Family business

**Here we are, at Eisenberg Technologies, to see a family reunion at its finest... But that's not all that's going to happen this chapter. If you thought Julius being alive was big news, just wait until chapter 13 or 14. That one's got to be shocking, too. Anyway, let's go back to 2067 after I've responded to your reviews here:**

 _PurpleNi_ _cole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I know, right? Such a beautiful moment! That would be so awesome! And Liz is trying to find that device, so when she finds it and turns it off, Cyd and Shelby are free to go home._

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Sweet, isn't it? Thanks for reviewing!_

 _TKDP:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Yes indeed - too bad changing the future is hard because they don't know what to change. Good to know you remembered an important plot point from earlier on. Naldo and Liz were trapped there after an intervention from the sentinels - only because Cyd and Shelby were there (maybe the sentinels thought they could get more information out of them about Cyd and Shelby). You're right - something will happen now._

 _Person:_ _Here's the update. Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _April 18, 2067_**

Cyd and Shelby smiled when they watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes. It was always nice to be reunited with family after not seeing them for a long time, so they knew what it felt like for Julius to see his children again, to hold Frey in his arms. As for the Eisenberg siblings, they both reacted in their own way. Frey immediately welcomed her father into her life again. Jay, on the other hand, still stood in the same place where he stood after he had entered the room.

Frey may have said something, but they could not really understand what she had said. Julius eventually broke free from her hug, holding her face with his hands. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs, watching her with the proud look in his eyes.

"Don't cry, Frey," he said. He must've had a hard time to control his smile, "We're back together at last. That's nothing to cry about."

"I know," she said, "It's just that… I'm so glad you're alive." The father and daughter exchanged glances again and hugged each other briefly before Julius turned his attention to his first-born, his son Jay. He saw the emotionless expression on his face, one he recognized from when they were still a family. He took a few steps towards him and watched him with interest.

"It's good to see you again, Jay," Julius said, opening his arms, hoping Jay still remembered that sign meant he wanted a hug. Jay didn't react to his actions with deeds, but with words.

"No," he said and the smile disappeared from Julius' face, "It is impossible. You are dead." You could clearly hear the disbelief in his voice. How hard it must be or a father to hear his own son say something like that. Fortunately, Julius remembered why he would say things like that.

"I see it's gotten worse," he glanced at Frey but quickly focused back on Jay, "I know this is hard for you, but… I'm alive. We are together. I'll never leave your side anymore, I promise." But Jay shook his head again.

"Promises of dead men." He said it as if he's dealt with situations like this before. Of course he had not, but it did not take away the indifference in his voice.

"Really, Jay? Really?" Frey came to him. She understood why he, at first, denied the fact that his father could be alive, but now she could not understand why he would still refuse to see their father as a living man. She blamed those stupid habits and rituals of his, even if they were part of him. He barely turned his head in her direction when she came closer, staring at the 'dead man' with the desperate look on his face.

"Jay…" Julius said, hesitating and then continuing, "Jarvis, please. Try to understand. Try to fight it – I am alive. I am sorry this is a major break from what you are used to, but at least we are reunited." These words had little impact on Jay. He did not react to those phrases as a whole, but just one of them.

"Jarvis Eisenberg is dead," He said as if his father had not tried to reconcile with him. "He died at age fourteen, along with two sentinels at a gas station. There is only Jay." Then, he continued to stare at his father, who grew more desperate with every passing second. Cyd and Shelby, unsure how to react to the situation, had silently decided to just let the family reconcile without their interference. However, there was one small thing which caught their attention and to which they had to react.

"Your name is Jarvis?" Cyd wondered out loud. So far, they only know him as Jay, never even thinking it could be a nickname, especially not for such a weird and old name like Jarvis. Was that even a possibility for a first name?

"No comment," Jay said, only staring at his father, who tried one last time to convince his son he was not a dead man.

"Is there anything else I can say?" he said, "Jay, please…" He didn't even bother to complete his sentence. He praised himself lucky when Jay responded to his question.

"Give a good reason for your death," Jay said, "Give a good reason for your return to life." Frey looked from her brother to her father.

"He's got a point," she then said, "Why did you fake your death? Why couldn't we know?" With both his children looking at him, he looked at both when he tried to explain what he has gone through.

"Jay, Frey… One of the many things I regret is faking my death. At that point, I was trapped, caught in a complicated situation. There was no other way I could live other than to fake my death. My work has given me a lot of unwanted enemies. But as a father, I could not quite let go of you yet. I had cameras installed in some of the bases me and my father built. I wanted, no, I needed to keep an eye on you. A father should always care for his children and so I did. The monitors are in that corner." He pointed at a spot behind Jay, in the corner in which Cyd and Shelby didn't stand. Jay immediately turned around to see what they showed on the monitors. Frey didn't go all the way into the corner, because she recognized the inside of the base on one of the screen. She turned back to her father while Jay studied what the monitors showed them.

"There's so much I want to ask you," Frey said, "But I'm going to start with this one. Why did you even build those bases?" There must be a valid reason for the bases being built. Julius nodded.

"We needed secret storage rooms. It was my father's idea. It is dangerous for a scientist to keep everything he invents at one place – there's always someone who has bad intentions. Each of the bases were placed under the homes of our top scientists to secure them even more."

"Very smart," Frey said with a smile on her face, "Now, why did you stay here? Or did the sentinels keep you as a prisoner?"

"That is a question with a complicated answer," Julius said. Cyd and Shelby saw this as a way for him to avoid telling the truth. They didn't intervene yet, just waited for Liz to find that device so they could go home and let them reconcile, so they could prevent them from ever having to go through this. "I will try to explain it to you the best I can, I promise. I can't promise you'll understand it."

"I understand." Everyone turned their heads to Jay, who was now looking at Julius. There was an angry look in his eyes and he held his iron bar in a different position, as if he was ready to attack then and there. "I finally have arrived at the moment I have been preparing for."

Julius did not understand what Jay was talking about, but Frey, Cyd and Shelby did. Frey gasped and walked up to him, trying to pull the bar out of his hands. He didn't let her and held on to it, never letting go.

"What's going on?" Julius asked, wondering why his children would fight for that iron bar. Jay pushed Frey away from him, holding the bar with both hands, but in a position so it would be clear when he'd attack.

"You created the sentinels. You gave them intelligence, but they still need to be controlled either by a motherboard or a person. That person is you," Julius had a betrayed look in his eyes, "You are controlling the sentinels. You were from the beginning. Why else can one of this cameras move? Why else can you look into the mayor's office? Only the sentinels are authorized to do that." He didn't immediately do something, but the look in his eyes said more than a thousand words. Frey looked from her brother to her father and back to Jay, not sure what to believe at this point. Cyd and Shelby had trouble looking at him now without seeing everything he's done to the people of Portland, what he'd done to Liz, Naldo and Fred.

"Is that true?" Frey wondered, "Are you oppressing the people of Portland?" Julius waited a while before answering, shrugging, not really knowing how to break the news to them.

"Oppressing is a rather strong word…" He wanted to continue, but Frey interrupted him.

"Are you?" she repeated, looking in his father's eyes. She couldn't believe her father was capable of doing such things to other people. Julius sighed and bowed his head.

"Yes I am, but let me explain." Frey stopped Jay by standing in front of her father so she would take any hit he might deal to Julius. It prevented him from attacking him and Frey could convince him it wasn't the right time to kill him yet. Julius looked up, regret clear I his eyes, and continued to explain the complicated situation he was caught in.

"I never wanted it to go this far," he spoke as calmly as possible, unsure how his son would react to any of this, "My father and I, we had a better Portland in mind, a better world where crime would be eradicated. We tried to accomplish that through the realization of time travel or by creating those sentinels. Father wanted to focus on the time travel, I wanted to focus on the sentinels because that project had a better chance at success," He sighed, "If he hadn't passed away, I may have never been able to create the sentinels. You have to understand, I just wanted a safer place. Crime rates dropped dramatically after the first year, so we advanced them. Unfortunately, the police officers from Portland didn't like the idea of being fired. They protested and so did the people. I knew that, without them, criminals would take their chance. I couldn't let that happen, not while you could be caught in the crossfire." He paused, thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say next.

"I faked my death, and suddenly the sentinels ruled Portland, with me as their supervisor. I couldn't quite control them anymore as I previously did, which bothered me. They crossed a line by limiting people's freedom to a minimum. I have been working on a plan to change this, so the people get more freedom, but it's grown beyond my control. I've been here for two weeks since the sentinels figured out I was conspiring against them. I'm trying to reverse it, but they are cleverer than I first thought I made them. Don't you see? I'm trying to fix my mistakes." Frey and Jay looked at each other trying to figure out for themselves if he was telling the truth or minimalizing it.

"But you do admit it was your fault it has gotten out of hand?" Jay asked him. Julius looked away and then back at Jay before answering his question.

"Yes but please, Jay, don't do anything you'll regret later," Julius said, referring to what his son might do to him, "I'm trying to save all of us now. I know I made a lot of mistakes in the past, especially one right before your grandfather tried. I'm trying to make it right now!"

"There is no way to make it right," Jay said, "So what if the criminals can come back? At least everyone will be free to do whatever they want."

Cyd and Shelby saw how Frey untied her watch and threw it at them while Jay said this. He didn't seem to notice what she was doing and Cyd could barely catch it. They held it in their hands and watched it before hell broke loose. Even if Frey was a year younger and not nearly as strong as Jay, she did manage to keep him from going to his father as fast as he could, while Julius backed away, truly afraid of his son.

Cyd and Shelby stopped watching how Jay struggled to get to Julius when Frey's watch beeped twice. On the screen of the watch appeared the age-old symbols for declining or accepting a call. Cyd pressed on the green phone symbol on the screen. "Hello?" she said, unsure how to communicate like this.

"Frey, it's me, Liz," they heard Liz's voice say from the other side, "I found that device you were talking about. I pulled the switch, so Sara and Caitlin can go home." Cyd and Shelby looked up from the watch to each other. "Hello? Frey, are you there? Hello?" Cyd and Shelby didn't bother to answer. Cyd put Frey's watch on the desk that was in the room and then she grabbed Shelby. The news made them forget the tragedy that unfolded behind them, Jay closing in on Julius and Frey barely able to protect her father. They forgot the sentinels and the system they called 'justice'. Their only thoughts were those of home, of end January 2016, back in their bedroom.

As soon as they grabbed each other in a hug, they thought of home. They had closed their eyes and when they opened them, they stood in their old bedroom. Diesel looked up when he noticed Cyd and Shelby. After five days of the future, they finally saw a familiar environment. Cyd took her phone from her pocket and checked the date. January 29, 2016.

Cyd and Shelby sighed in relief. They finally made it back home.


	12. The Ides of March

**The last few chapters were quite eventful, weren't they? Now, with everything that happened, it's time to slow down. Cyd and Shelby are home after all, so everything's fine! Or is it? No, because there's still a horrible future they want to change. But can they? You'll find that answer in the next few chapters. Before we go to this chapter, I'd like to say that the Ides of March refer to March 15, a term used by the Romans. Coincidentally, one of the most famous Romans died that day.** **You should look it up - who knows, maybe you'll find something you didn't know before...** **Anyway, here are my replies to your reviews and then, the chapter itself:**

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! It sure looks like it - or is it? Well, he's very conflicted. He was training to take down the 'leader' of the sentinels, who happens to be his father, who had to pretend to have died and who gave him a name like that... It must be hard for him. This chapter and I can confirm they are really home. There's one more big twist coming!_

 _TKDP:_ _They'll indeed still have to save the future. Yeah, he's going through a rough time. It was Julius all along! Thanks for reviewing!_

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Thanks for reviewing! You're right - they are safe for now._

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _Present: January 29, 2016_**

"We did it!" Cyd said, "We're finally back home!" She put her phone, which she used to verify if they really were back in their own time, back into her pocket. She and Shelby smiled at each other, though something seemed to bother Shelby. Cyd didn't have to wait to know what's going on.

"But what about the future?" Shelby then asked out loud, "The sentinels will still be built. Jay and Frey still have problems." Cyd acknowledged the problem. They've changed the past before, they had done it quite a few times to make the outcome of their lives better. What they were suggesting was something they've never done before. They knew the source of the problem, but had no idea when to go to or what to do once they got there.

"We'll have to save them," Cyd said, stating the obvious.

"But how?" Shelby wondered, "We need to help, but do we know what's going to start the sentinel dystopia?" They knew they heard the solution somewhere, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. Luckily, they didn't have to look for a long time to find something.

"Wait," Cyd then said, "didn't Julius say that if Barry lives, he wouldn't have been able to create the sentinels?" Shelby nodded in agreement. Julius had indeed said that. And didn't other people they've met in the future say the world might have been a better place if Barry Eisenberg were still alive? They may have, but they at least mentioned the impact Barry would've had if he had lived.

Cyd and Shelby looked at each other. They didn't need to exchange words to know what their friend was thinking about the situation. "Let's go save Barry," Shelby said and held up her hand, ready or Cyd to give a high five. Cyd didn't hesitate and she gave Shelby a high-five. They left their present behind them again and went to an unexplored future before dystopian Portland happened.

* * *

 _ **Future: March 15, 2051**_

When they arrived at the future and looked around, they noticed they had arrived at a spot where they've been before. The Eisenberg Technologies building stood there, not knowing how deserted it would be within just two decades. The logo hanging above the main entrance, which will be old and rotten in 2076, now was restored to its present glory, shining in the sunlight. The parking lots were all filled and the place seemed more friendly and appealing than in twenty years.

They were lucky a car just parked onto the one remaining parking lot. Cyd and Shelby watched as an older man stepped out of the car, talking on the phone with someone. The phone osbcured their face from them – he held it in his right hand and walked past them, not even noticing they were there. Cyd and Shelby recognized him by the way he talked on the phone. "…better stay at home and rest. Yes, me and Julius will be able to handle everything. Good recovery, Renaldo." Cyd and Shelby looked at each other as Barry hung up the phone. Cyd didn't hesitate.

"Barry," she said his name, but he barely turned around to look at them.

"I'm sorry, if you want to talk to me, make an appointment with my secretary. I'm a busy man and I don't have time right now." He was about to ignore them again when Shelby intervened.

"Barry, it's us! Cyd and Shelby." Barry stopped in his tracks when he heard her say those names. He turned around and the three looked at each other, surprised with what they saw. Barry saw two of his lost childhood friends standing in front of him while Cyd and Shelby watched how their friend had grown into a successful businessman. Little had changed about him, only that he now needed glasses. He didn't move for a long time, but eventually started talking.

"Are you real?" They could hear he was hesitant to believe it. Cyd and Shelby had no idea what Barry had gone through to stop believing they would show up in the future, or to stop believing they would really come.

"No, we're holograms," Cyd said, "Of course we're real!" To prove her point, Cyd pinched Barry in his arm. He immediately pulled back that arm.

"Ouch, that hurt!" he reacted and then looked up at them, disbelief clearly visible in his eyes. "You're real… You travelled to today from the past, didn't you?" Cyd and Shelby nodded. Barry waited to respond to all of this new information and went back to his usual future self within seconds.

"Come with me," he said, "I'm sure you wouldn't come here if it wasn't important. Now, pretend to be two students from Portland High to come visit us. I sometimes allow two aspiring teenagers to visit. just don't expect me to talk much, normally Renaldo makes sure the teenagers – in this case, you two – are entertained. That way, nobody will look up when they see you two walking past me. Now I need two names. Cyd and Shelby in that combination is rather famous and we don't want you to get noticed." Cyd and Shelby were surprised Barry thought of all of this in a matter of seconds and fortunately, they could answer as soon as Barry wished.

"Sara and Caitlin," Shelby said.

"I'm Sara!" Cyd then added and Barry nodded.

"That was fast," Barry said, "Now, follow me. Don't fall behind. We'll talk in my office." He turned around and walked into the building, closely followed by Cyd and Shelby. Once they were inside the building, they saw what it used to be. It reminded them off the inside of GDD a little, but not too much. The walls were painted white and the tiles on the ground had a checkerboard pattern. Every now and then they would pass some plants with healthy green leaves. Even if there was a lot of black and white, this seemed cozier than GDD ever was.

There was one minor problem when they walked past the receptionist. She didn't recognize Cyd and Shelby, luckily, but that meant she asked them to stay there because nobody was allowed to enter the building just like that.

"It's okay, Marissa," Barry told the blonde, "they're with me." Even if she still was a little skeptical about it, she let the two girls pass. They followed Barry without saying a word, acting as if they really belonged here. Nobody even looked at them, having gotten used to these teenagers walking around and following their boss. At the end of the hallway, they reached the office where Barry worked – the room where they had found Julius in 2076.

Cyd closed the door behind him and Barry sat down behind his desk. Cyd and Shelby sat down on the chairs in front of the desk, so they were facing Barry.

"So, why are you in this time?" Barry asked them, looking from Shelby at Cyd and back at Shelby, waiting for them to explain their situation. The two friends looked at each other, unsure how to break the news to them. Cyd solved the problem beautifully.

"You're going to die today," she blurted out, taking Barry aback.

"Excuse me?" Barry said, eyes widened in surprise. Shelby sighed.

"It's true, but you shouldn't have said it like that." She turned her head to her best friend, who shrugged.

"Hey, now we're at least not wasting time." Cyd defended herself and Shelby nodded. They sure didn't waste time by telling an introductory story to postpone telling him the bad news.

"I'm going to die today?" Barry then wondered out loud, "How? Why?" Cyd and Shelby looked at each other.

"We don't know," Shelby said, "we probably should've asked Jay." Cyd nodded in agreement. He knew a lot more about Eisenberg Technologies than he told them, so he would know how their grandfather died. They thought he mentioned it the first day, but they forgot it after every other exciting thing happened.

"Jay? Who is Jay?" Barry asked and Cyd and Shelby looked at each other, contemplating whether to tell Barry it was his grandson or not. Since they didn't know in what year Jay was born, they decided not to tell Barry who Jay was exactly.

"We met him in 2067. Yes, we went to 2067," Cyd said before Barry could ask something about it. "You'll never get to see it, but it's awful. The sentinels rule everything and oppress the people and the..."

"Did you say sentinels?" Barry interrupted them with a serious look on his face. Unsure how to answer the question, they decided to nod. Barry looked away with a frown on his face. Cyd and Shelby deduced he knew more about the situation.

"Barry?" Shelby said, "Is everything okay?"

"Not really," Barry responded, "if you mean two-meter-tall robots when you say sentinels, then it's not okay. My son and I are trying to find ways to effectively fight crime. He plans to build those robots with intelligence to track down criminal. But that would make police officers useless and it generally is dangerous to give intelligence to a robot. My idea is to crack time travel. Once we're done doing that, we can train officers to prevent crimes from happening - of course, they will need to have future evidence in order to arrest the future criminals."

"That's a great idea!" Cyd said. It would be a great way to stop all crime from happening. It would make a great utopia, in contrast with what they've seen in dystopian future Portland. Barry nodded.

"Unfortunately, I still haven't figured how you can time travel, though I'm really close. Julius supports my idea, but I'm not blind - I'm certain he'd like to see the robots developed. But I am against it, so we are focusing on cracking time travel. If there isn't a breakthrough today, there will be one next week. Anyway, thanks for the heads up. I will keep my eyes open." Barry was about to get back to his paperwork when someone opened the door and burst in.

The young man couldn't be older than thirty and Cyd and Shelby saw the effects of time travel. In front of them, with an excited look on his face, stood a younger version of Julius Eisenberg, the version of him that didn't need glasses.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, father," he said, "but I think I did it. I think I cracked time travel." Cyd and Shelby's eyes widened and Barry stood up in surprise after he told them with pride.

"You did?" He asked his son, who nodded.

"I think so," he replied, "I finally looked into your formula, like you suggested, and I saw some things were off about it. Once I fixed those small anomalies, I was able to figure out the formula that would allow people to really travel through time. It's in my lab." Barry didn't hesitate and followed Julius as he walked back to his lab. Cyd and Shelby followed them - or, at least, they tried to, but the two Eisenbergs walked rather quickly. They could barely keep up with them, but they didn't have to go too far. The lab where Julius supposedly cracked time travel was the same lab where the sentinels had locked up Naldo and Liz. They saw Barry enter and when they were about to go into the lab themselves, they were stopped by Julius.

"I'm sorry, authorized personnel only." He closed the door behind them. Cyd and Shelby didn't mind. They waited in front of the door and opted to talk while they waited for Barry.

"I'm so happy for Barry," Shelby said, "He finally gets to crack time travel." Cyd nodded, though showed a little concern.

"Me too," Cyd said, "but today is the day he is supposed to die. Aren't you worried something will happen?" Shelby nodded, showing concern with the look in her eyes.

"Of course I'm worried," Shelby responded, "but Barry's with his son. He is at a place he loves and in a safe environment. Besides, we don't know when exactly today he'll die. It could be in the evening."

"You're right," Cyd agreed with her best friend, "We shouldn't worry too much. What could possibly go wrong in there?"

It may have been better if she hadn't said that, but it wouldn't have changed what happened next. There was a loud bang from within the lab. Cyd and Shelby jumped up because of the sudden noise. The building became quiet, too quiet. Only the sound of phones ringing could be heard, for everyone held their breaths when they had heard the bang. Cyd and Shelby hesitated to open the door, but eventually Cyd's curiosity grew too large and she opened the door.

The lab was a mess. Everything had received a black color, which would be hard to clean and would still be visible in 2067. Glass lay scattered on the ground. They were surprised the walls and roof hadn't fallen down, giving a good impression of how large the explosion was. The closets present were only scorched black and the content was left unscathed. There were two bodies lying on the ground - one was Julius, the other was Barry. Julius had hit the ground hard and Barry seemed to lay closer to the place of impact.

Cyd and Shelby didn't know what to do when they saw this. Never could they have imagined something like this happening, especially not to one of their friends. A failed experiment could always happen, though they didn't think it would happen.

Julius coughed. He slightly moved, unable to sit up straight and do anything but to lay down, cough and talk. Cyd and Shelby walked to him, but stopped in their tracks when they heard his weak voice.

"Father?" It was barely louder than a whisper. Cyd and Shelby then looked at Barry, who hadn't moved until then. He lay on his back, eyes closed, glasses shattered, small cuts over his face and body, especially in the chest area. He lost a bit of blood. Cyd, brave enough to go up to him, walked closer to Barry while Shelby stayed with Julius, who kept begging for his father.

Cyd checked his pulse and tried to feel any breaths. After more than a minute, Cyd looked at Shelby. Her eyes, red and filled with tears, made the message clear. Shelby then looked at Julius, who was awaiting news about his father. She shook her head and Julius, knowing what it meant, burst out in tears.

Finally, the guards arrived, finding the two teenage girls and the Eisenberg men. Two of them gently guided Cyd and Shelby out of the lab. One of them called 911 while the other tried to comfort the two girls. They only needed each other, though, and while they were hugging and wishing they were back home, their wish was granted. Before they knew it they were back home, ready to process what the future showed them.


	13. Barry Eisenberg must die

**Well, that was sad, wasn't it? All good things must come to an end... unless you have time travel powers to prevent any of it from coming to an end. And that's exactly what Cyd and Shelby are going to do. It may not be too exciting but I'm sure you'll at least like it. Also, not including this chapter, there are two more to go before this story is finished (and I plan to finish it before continuing another story). Just wanted to let you know. And now, let's go to the review:**

 _PurpleNicole531_ _:_ _Thanks for reviewing! That's exactly what they are going to do, though we don't know if they'll succeed. They first have to figure out what went wrong in there (though that's obvious) and then convince Barry not to do it because it may cost him his life._

 **Enjoy!**

 **P.S. Are you guys as excited as I am about the season finale? It is going to be so epic!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 ** _Present_**

Cyd and Shelby had taken the time to mourn and convince themselves Barry wasn't dead yet. Once they both had calmed down, they discussed their plans in the present – they had all the time in the world, compared with the future. After all, they knew Barry well enough to know he would not sit still if someone told him they may have cracked time travel, even if he knew he'd be walking to his death.

"Now we know what's going to happen," Cyd had said, "we can stop it from ever happening."

"How are we going to do that," Shelby had asked, "We don't know what exactly happened in the lab. And we can't be there to figure it out _and_ stay with Barry to tell him what is going to happen at the same time." She had made a good point, but Cyd already had an idea that might work.

"We still have the watches," she pointed at her wrist. The watch Frey had given them when they had to run from the sentinels, who were invading the base, was still present and could be of use. "They can get us where we need to go."

"You're right!" Shelby agreed, having forgot about the watches they have been wearing, "We can use them to jump from one place to the other."

"Okay," Cyd said, sharing Shelby's enthusiasm. "Do you know how to change the coordinates?"

"No, I don't." Shelby shook her head.

"Me neither, but" Cyd immediately continued, because she had already thought of that possibility, "we can go inside the lab, wait for something to happen and jump to this place when Barry arrives. It does automatically jump to that place." She remembered Jay had learned the coordinates or stored them inside the watch's database or something like that, so that they would take them to the front door of Eisenberg Technologies.

"And once we've told Barry, we can go back to the lab and see what it is that should kill him." Shelby suggested and Cyd nodded.

"Great idea! But what if it doesn't work?" She still questioned the quality of their plan. After all, time is a delicate thing. It would be unwise to keep on jumping to a few minutes back over and over again, unless the plan doesn't work out. And Shelby had the perfect solution.

"We're time travelers. We can film everything with our smartphone and show it to Barry." Cyd and Shelby agreed this was the best plan they could possibly come up with and went back to 2051.

* * *

 ** _March 15, 2051_**

Once they had arrived back in 2051, the middle-aged Barry was staring at them, not able to believe what he was seeing. "You're real… You travelled to today from the past, didn't you?" They heard him say it for the second time today and they suspected they may have to hear this for a second time today. They looked at the time. It was 8:52 in the morning. Cyd tried to memorize the time while Shelby spoke.

"Yes we did, and we came to warn you. You…" She wasn't able to finish her sentence because Barry interrupted her.

"Come with me," he said like he did the first time, "I'm sure you wouldn't come here if…"

"If it wasn't important, yes we know." Cyd returned the favor and interrupted him, "You're gonna die." Again, Barry was taken aback by this sudden news. He looked away, unable to fathom the possibility of losing his life today. "We know where and when it is going to happen. Do we have the permission to go there and look around?"

"Why would you want to look around there?" Barry wondered out loud. Cyd and Shelby looked at each other.

"To see what causes your death." Barry looked from Cyd to Shelby and back to Cyd.

"I don't understand how you can sound so calm when you talk about my death," Barry responded, "But I'll let you go. Just don't try to attract to much attention. Now, pretend to be two students from Portland…"

"Caitlin and Sara – I'm Caitlin!" Shelby said quickly, not giving Barry a chance to give his explanation about students a second time. Barry looked at them with a weird expression on his face before turning around and walking to the entrance. Cyd and Shelby followed him. The next half a minute could be described as a déjà vu for the two time travelers. The exact same things were said and done, except that Barry took the turn to the right and, when the woman wasn't looking, Cyd and Shelby walked to the left. The people barely noticed they were present in the building. It didn't take long before they found Julius' lab.

"Wait," Shelby said as Cyd approached the door, "What if he's still in there?" At that moment, the door opened and Julius Eisenberg walked out of the room, not acknowledging the two teenage girls. He walked away from them, but not immediately to Barry's office – he stopped by E.T. security first (as far as the girls could see). Cyd nodded.

"Problem solved!" she said and she walked to the door. They were already lucky he hadn't locked the door. The room was completely different from what they had seen in the future and after Barry's death. Everything was white and there were a set of chemicals standing next to each other in two of those glass cups – they could only guess it was the time travel formula in physical form. The atmosphere in this room made them think a little of the future lab.

Once they had pushed these thoughts aside, they looked everywhere. They opened all drawers and closets – they found one only for the lab coats – and then searched everywhere else, but they did not dare to touch the chemical fluids which gave the room some color.

"I can't find anything," Cyd said and Shelby nodded.

"Me neither," she looked at the fluids, "But I don't trust those."

"Do you think they are what caused Barry's death?" Cyd then asked out loud and Shelby nodded again.

"I think they have something to do with it." Cyd wanted to say something in response, but she didn't get the chance. Barry's voice from the other side of the door warned them the Eisenberg men were coming their way. They looked at each other and without saying a word, they knew they had to hide. They didn't hesitate and ran to the closet where they found the lab coats. They climbed in it and left it open. The door stood ajar, allowing Cyd to watch the scene unfold in front of her, wishing the two scientists wouldn't notice someone was there.

"So this is the formula?" Barry asked.

"Yes," Julius answered, proud of his work, "all you have to do is mix the ingredients. But it works theoretically. I don't know if it will take you back to this morning or if it will blow up in this face." Cyd and Shelby looked at each other after they heard this unfortunate choice of words.

"I am starting to think of the latter." Cyd watched how Barry looked at the chemical fluids and inspected them. Julius noticed his father's concern.

"Don't worry, father, it's not what you think it is," Julius answered, "I tested them beforehand and when you mix them, it won't blow up – I'm, like, cautiously positive it won't." Julius didn't add anything, just watched and gave his father enough room to complete the experiment.

"Aren't you going to do it?" Barry turned around to face his son, who then started to shake his head frantically.

"No, I'm not. You should do it. It _is_ what you've been working towards your entire life. The honor is yours." He motioned at the fluids and Barry decided to let it slide and focus on what was really important to him: the research. He picked up one of the cups and poured it into one of the others. The next thing they heard was a big bang. The blast wave shut the closet, but left the two girls unscathed. Taken aback by the noise, they remained in the closet for a while before opening the doors.

It looked the same as when they entered through the front door, only from a different angle. The guards had yet to come in and Julius also had to wake up again. Without hesitation, they grabbed each other and jumped back to the safe time of January 29.

* * *

 _ **Present**_

Once they were back in 2016, they started discussing what they should do now.

"Okay," Shelby said, "Now we know that's what caused it, we can record it and make sure Barry will not mix those chemicals." Cyd nodded absent-minded, something that didn't go unnoticed. "Cyd, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, "It's just… I don't trust Julius."

"Why not?" Shelby wondered, "He is just trying to help Barry. Okay, he does create the sentinels in the future, but he deeply regrets it. Did you see him cry when Barry died?" Cyd nodded – they all cried after seeing Barry's dead body, and still…

"Yes, I did," Cyd said, "I am not saying he did it on purpose, but you should have seen him when he was talking. It seemed he didn't even want to mix the two in the first place. Besides, did you hear how quick he was to deny it would blow up in his father's face – which it did – and to make Barry mix the two ingredients."

"If you put it that way…" Shelby began, thinking about all the arguments pointing in Julius' direction, "It does look like he's trying to kill Barry." Cyd nodded, happy she could convince her best friend she was right, sad that something like killing his father.

"But," Shelby began again, "it could have been a real accident."

"There's only one way to find out," Cyd said. Shelby and Cyd didn't have to say another word. They hugged each other, going back to 2051, only to a time earlier than when Barry would arrive.

* * *

 ** _March 15, 2051_**

 ** _8:30_**

They arrived twenty minutes before Barry would arrive. A lot of things could happen within twenty minutes, which could be enough for Cyd and Shelby to figure out whether Julius really was guilty or not. They were back outside and when they were about to walk inside the building, they stopped. The only reason was the woman with the blonde hair.

"What do we do?" Shelby said, knowing the woman would never let them walk inside. They watched and waited, hoping she hadn't noticed them. They opted not to go look for other ways in, because it would take a long time and even time travelers didn't want to lose a lot of time, if they could afford it.

They didn't have to wait too long, luckily. A man walked to the woman and started a conversation with her, leaning on her desk. Once he straightened his back again, the woman stood up and they both went to the right.

Cyd and Shelby took their chance. When they passed the woman's desk, they saw Julius walked towards the staircase, away from his lab. They hurried into Julius' lab and into the closet, even if they knew Julius would come back later. The last time they sat here, it was quite uncomfortable. They took their time to create a nice place to sit on and then climbed into the closet, keeping the door ajar.

At that moment, Julius walked back into his lab. Through the cracks, Cyd could see how Julius prepared the liquid chemicals for use. The next twenty minutes, nothing eventful happened. The girls were about to give up on the Julius-did-it-on-purpose-theory when Julius was finally done brewing his potion and placed the cups into position. The least they had expected he would be, was surprised and excited that he had finally done it. Instead, he had a grim expression on his face and a look of doubt in his eyes, with which he stared at the bright blue and yellow liquids.

"Okay, this is it," Julius said, with no sign of enthusiasm anywhere, "The day you've been waiting for, the day you've been preparing for." He then looked away from the chemicals, shaking his head and walking away in his lab.

"I can't do this!" he said, "This is wrong. This is so wrong!" He continued to talk like this for several minutes, until he had calmed himself down and stood in one place. "Keep it together, Julius. It will be an accident. Just an accident. Such a small amount can't kill anyone. It can't." He turned his head so he was looking at the chemicals, expecting a reaction, expecting they would tell him what was the right thing to do. Of course, they didn't and Julius sighed.

"I'm sorry father," he then said, a little softer than anything they had heard him say. "Scientists need to make sacrifices from time to time. I'm so sorry, but you'll recover." He then turned around and without looking back, he walked out of the lab. At that point, Cyd and Shelby dared to climb out of the closet.

"I knew it," Cyd then said, "I knew Julius was up to something!"

"But he just tried to convince himself it wouldn't kill anyone. Maybe he doesn't want to kill Barry, but hurt him – though I don't know why a son would want to hurt his father." Cyd nodded.

"Okay then. Julius doesn't want to kill, but he did do it on purpose." Both of them were right about one thing, so it was easy to compromise.

"We have to tell Barry," Shelby then said, but Cyd seemed to have different plans.

"Yeah," she said, "Let's tell him his own son will want to hurt him, but that it will eventually end up killing him. No father wants to believe their own son is trying to harm them. He might not believe us."

"Good point." They thought about a solution for a while, and quickly found a solution. "We can jump back a few minutes and record everything. That way, we can show Barry what is going to happen and then he _has_ to believe us."

"I like that idea," Cyd said, "let's do it!" She and Shelby high-fived and travelled back in time a few minutes.

* * *

 ** _March 15, 2051_**

 ** _8:49_**

They were back in the closet after the time-jump, only minutes away from Julius' monologue. Because Cyd sat close to the crack through which she could watch the scene unfold, she took her phone to film everything. Seconds before Julius started to speak, she hit the record button, which she would only hit a second time when Julius had walked out of the room.

"Great," Shelby said, "Now let's show Barry." Cyd seemed to have other plans.

"Wait," she responded, "With this footage, Barry can still say it may not kill him. We have to show him his fate." It was hard to speak these words aloud. Nobody likes to die, and people don't like watching themselves die either. Despite that, they waited until Julius and Barry returned. Cyd recorded everything that happened. she did turn her phone to Shelby when Barry picked up one of the cups. Five seconds later, they heard that bang for the third time. They remained silent for a while, still unable to get a grip on the situation. It is never fun to know when a friend dies, especially when this was the third time said friend died.

"I've got it," was all Cyd could say. Shelby nodded. Now that was out of the way, they hugged and went ten minutes back in time, so they can show Barry what his future holds.


	14. The mad scientist

**Do you remember I said last time there were only two chapters left? Well, I combined them or else they would both be rather short (like, less than 1K each). So, instead of two last chapters, here's one last chapter which hopefully lives up to your expectations. This is certainly not the last story I'll be writing for BFW, so keep your eyes open and visit my profile regularly, as I keep a list of upcoming stories there. There may be some other non-BFW stories you'll like. Also, check out the poll on my profile so you can decide which story I'll write first. Anyway, thank you all for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting this story, it really means a lot to me. So, without further ado, here is the final chapter of "A time to save the future" (but first, the final reviews):**

 _PurpleNicole531:_ _Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, it was his fault. Reactions will be included in this chapter (and, yes, it indeed won't be easy to watch). Well, I found the episodes with okay quality on YouTube, so I could watch them. I promise you, those episodes are amazing. You'll love them!_

 _iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl:_ _Yeah, he's going through some serious stuff right now. It ill all get better (or not, I don't want to spoil the end) Thanks for reviewing!_

 **Enjoy this last chapter!**

 **-Writer207**

* * *

 _ **March 15, 2051**_

 _ **8:49**_

Because of what they were doing before this time jump, they ended up in the closet once again. They arrived right before Julius started to talk to himself. Luckily, they had one very helpful device that would allow them to go to the entrance without being seen. They both pressed the red button on their future watches and no second later, they were outside of the building in front of the company their best friend had founded.

Two minutes. They still had two minutes before Barry would pass by. Two more minutes to get his death out of their heads and focus on preventing it from ever happening. The two minutes flew by before they knew it. They almost missed him, but didn't until they heard him speak. "… Good recovery, Renaldo." He hung up his phone, giving Cyd and Shelby the room to interact with Barry without disturbing Naldo while he was ill.

Instead of shouting his name, Shelby shouted his name and ran up to him, hugging him in the process. Barry looked up, confused, tried to push Shelby away from him until he saw her face. He then saw Cyd was also walking closer, hugging him too. Once he got over the shock of being hugged by a 'total stranger', he was extremely glad to see them, though still surprised.

"Cyd? Shelby?" He said out loud, unsure how to react to their sudden appearance, "What are you… you jumped to this time, didn't you? You…"

"We don't have much time," Cyd interrupted him. Julius could be almost ready to go and see his father. "Barry, you're dying today. It's Julius who is going to kill you."

"Unintentionally," Shelby added – it's not like Julius actually planned his father to die. Barry looked at them and the shock on his face has returned.

"Impossible," Barry said, shaking his head in denial, "My son won't kill me – he's unable to hurt anyone."

"I'm sorry, Barry," Cyd said, "but I have proof." She took her phone out of her pocket and showed Barry the two small videos. They saw Barry's eyes widen when he heard Julius' confession and then had to see how it was supposed to happen. He turned his head when Cyd had turned away the camera. The bang soon could be heard.

"Unbelievable…" Barry muttered, slightly shaking his head. He couldn't say anything else about it.

"This is your future," Shelby said. "If you go with Julius when he tells you he has cracked time travel, this is what will happen to you." Barry was thinking, they were sure of it, trying to give a logical explanation to what was going on right now. Eventually, he turned his head to the girls.

"This is not what I had in mind," he admitted, "This can't be happening. Follow me." He walked towards the entrance and while Cyd and Shelby wondered what he meant with these words, they followed him. The blonde woman stopped them again and Barry helped them out for the third time. instead of going to his office, they went directly to the spot where the security of the company was located.

Without knocking Barry opened the door. It was just as Cyd and Shelby had seen it before: the four big screens were still in place and broadcasting what was going on all over the building. The machinery they had seen in the future wasn't there, which made it look bigger than in 2067. There were also three guards present, all wearing their uniforms. They turned their heads when they saw the CEO of the company walk in with the two girls they had seen on the screens before.

"Stu, can you watch the girls for a second?" he asked the only guard who was standing up. "I'm coming back soon." He then left the room, leaving Cyd and Shelby in the hands of the three guards, who were focused on the screens (but who occasionally glanced at them, unsure what to do).

Not a minute later, the door opened again. Julius entered followed by Barry. Julius looked confused, which Cyd and Shelby could understand. "What's going on?" Julius asked out loud and looked at Cyd and Shelby, "Who are they?"

"I'm going to explain it. These girls," Barry said, "are from the future. They already explained everything and are rather shy. Isn't that right, girls?" He looked at Cyd and Shelby, hoping they'd catch the hint. Cyd and Shelby decided to play along – after all, Barry would live. They nodded in response.

"The future?" Julius then reacted, "That means that we'll do it. We'll crack time travel." He showed a smile of joy, but it disappeared when he saw his father still was looking at them with that serious face.

"We didn't," Barry said, "I know you're working on it right now. You're doing a great job, but it won't work."

"What are you talking about?" Julius then asked.

"I don't know what you wanted to do, but if it was meant to blow up in my face, it already has. Can you show him the footage?" Cyd took out her phone again and showed Julius what he was supposed to do. Julius' eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold. He looked up from the phone after hearing himself say those exact words he said out loud no five minutes ago. He watched Cyd and Shelby and then looked at his father, who clearly was disappointed in him.

"Julius, please tell me what you wanted to do. And please don't lie." Julius shook his head in disbelief.

"You time-traveled to this day, right?" He asked Cyd and Shelby, "Why did you do that? And how?" He didn't sound angry or sad, just calm. He wasn't upset two teenagers had stopped him.

"Because Barry died," Cyd said, "and it has a huge impact on the future. Your evil robots have taken over Portland and replaced police and government. There's a reason people shouldn't build robots with artificial intelligence. That's the reason why people we knew gave us the ability to time travel and chance the current situation." Julius continued to shake his head, turning it away from the group. They decided to give him a minute. When he had calmed down, he faced his father and the girls again.

"I... I never meant to kill you," Julius then said, "you already caught me confessing, so why deny it? I just wanted you to step out of the picture for a while, long enough change the company's course from researching time travel to manufacturing robots. I never imagined it would kill you and after hearing what it will do to the future..."

Cyd and Shelby looked at each other when he trailed off and then simultaneously looked at the father-son duo. Barry shook his head. "I can't believe you would do something like that for such a reason."

"Like I said, I never wanted to kill you. Now I'm just glad they came back and stopped me; I never would be able to live with myself if it indeed would happen. The project isn't worth your life."

"It's okay," Barry said as he put a hand on Julius' shoulder. They smiled at each other.

"Looks like our job is done," Shelby said and Cyd nodded. They may have expected that the guards would arrest Julius or that Barry would sanction him, but it seemed a heartfelt apology was more than enough.

"Well, thanks for stopping by. I wonder how it affected the future..." Julius said and the two time travelers shrugged.

"We don't know either. Let's see what the future holds," Cyd said, turning to her best friend, holding her hand high. Shelby knew what Cyd wanted to do – see if the future has evolved into a better place or not. She didn't hesitate and the two girls high-fived, traveling away from 2051 to 2067.

* * *

 _ **April 18, 2067**_

They were back in 2067. They recognized the street where they first ended up, though there were some major differences. There were people out on the streets of this sunny day. Children playing in the gardens, their parents walking the dogs or going somewhere by car. This small change changed the image they had of a scared, lifeless Portland into a lively Portland. And, most importantly, there were no sentinels to be seen anywhere.

"We did it, Cyd. We saved the future!" They nodded and looked around with a smile on their faces. One moment, Cyd poked Shelby and pointed at a point further in the street.

"Shelbs, look!" She pointed at a group of five people walking in their direction at the other side of the road. One of them was an older man, the others were teenagers: two boys and two girls. Cyd and Shelby could only stare as the group of people whom they have recognized came towards them. They were glad to see everyone was smiling and talking to each other. Shelby squeezed her eyes when they had come a little closer, not even noticing the two time travelers were looking at them.

"Wait… are Fred and Jay holding hands?" She wondered. Cyd now also looked at the two teenage boys and saw that they were indeed holding hands and noticed they were smiling widely, looking at each other regularly. Cyd automatically started to smile, as well.

"I did not see that one coming!" She reacted. It was nice to see Jay found someone, considering his difficult situation, even though he could be a completely different person now since they changed the timeline. They also looked at Liz and Frey, but it looked like they were just friends still.

At that point, Barry noticed them. They were barely twelve yards away from each other and he couldn't believe his eyes. Cyd and Shelby decided together not to say anything to them – they didn't need to meet the two time travelers from 2016, even if it would be great to chat with them again. But they could talk to Barry.

Unfortunately, it seemed he wasn't too interested in having a conversation. He nodded at the girls and then continued. Cyd and Shelby didn't know what to think about this, but decided that it was because Barry could have 'hallucinations'. He was already quite old and if he did have them, he would probably think they were hallucinations.

"We did a great job," Cyd then said when the Eisenberg family had passed them.

"We sure did," Shelby said, "but now we've fixed their future, let's fix ours." Cyd's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, right! The reason we came to this time was to see if we were still alive in a time beyond the future lab." Shelby nodded. And after their greatest adventure yet, they couldn't have spent any time trying to prevent it, since they first needed to get their powers back.

"We'll figure something out," Shelby said. "We can do this together. What if we travel to the morning of the future lab?"

"Great idea!" Cyd commented, "That way, we can see how that ends!"

"Let's do this!" Shelby then said. The two friends looked one last time at the Eisenberg family and then hugged each other, jumping to the day of the future lab.


End file.
